.....believe

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. — Acts 27:25

Before King Agrippa, Paul declared that he had not been disobedient to the heavenly vision. Soon after, he was put on a ship bound for Rome, and his faith in that vision was tested in a storm that seemed determined to swallow every promise God had made.

It began with a gentle south wind. Then a violent northeaster swept down on the ship. For days the sailors fought it. They bound the hull with ropes, threw the cargo overboard, and finally cast away the ship's tackle with their own hands. For many days neither sun nor stars appeared. Luke, who was on board, records the moment when every hope was gone: they gave up all expectation of being saved.

Into that darkness Paul stood up and spoke. An angel of God had stood by him that night and told him not to be afraid, for he must yet stand before Caesar, and God had given him the lives of all who sailed with him. Nothing around them had changed. The wind still howled, the waves still broke over the deck, and the ship was still lost. But Paul said, "I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me."

That is faith at its simplest and strongest. Paul did not wait for the storm to calm before he believed. He did not measure the promise by what he could see or feel.  "Do not wait to feel that you are made whole, but say, 'I believe it; it is so, not because I feel it, but because God has promised'" Steps to Christ, ch. 6, "Faith and Acceptance"

And God kept His word. The ship was broken to pieces on the rocks of Malta, but every one of the two hundred and seventy-six people on board reached the shore alive. Sometimes God does not prevent the shipwreck. He brings us through it, exactly as He said. Growing in grace means learning to stand on His word when the sun and stars have disappeared.

Before Agrippa, Paul teaches us to obey the heavenly vision. In the storm, he teaches us to trust it, and to find courage, not in calm seas, but in three simple words: I believe God.