“Saying, ‘Fear not, Paul, you must be brought before Caesar; and lo, God has given you all them that sail with you'” (Acts 27:24).

Sail (Def): (Gr) Pleo from Pluno/Pletho: To fill and fulfill, to flow, to plunge through the water in a vessel

Life is a journey and if we look at life as a journey through the waters, we get a picture of being in a vessel with sails and flowing to our destination with the wind. With whom are you sailing on your journey?

The Apostle was sailing to Rome as a prisoner under the authority of Julius, a Centurion of the Imperial Regimen. We do not always choose with whom we sail, and our conditions are not always of our own making. Nonetheless, we can be assured, God is in control along the way.

In the Apostle’s journey he was joined by Luke, his personal physician, by Aristarchus, a Macedonian disciple from Thessalonica (Acts 27:2); by other prisoners, along with all the sailors, and pilot of the ship. By God’s grace they were all spared death from the shipwreck that followed. I am sure they were all very grateful that the Apostle was on board.

The Apostle was accustomed to travel by the sea. He wrote to the Church at Corinth:

“In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren” (II Corinthians 11:26).

If life is perilous, dangerous and fraught with evil, which it certainly is, then it is even more imperative that we know with whom we sail.

First and foremost, we must sail with the Lord. The Prophet, Isaiah, declared by the word of the Lord:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you” (Isaiah 43:2).

The Lord is in your boat, just as He was with the disciples in the boat on the Sea of Galilee when the storm arose and He by His command, “peace be still” (Matthew 4:39), all was made well on the calm waters.

With whom are you sailing? Do not go it alone. We are a brotherhood of believers, a communion of saints. George Fox (1624-1691) was the founder of the Society of Friends. You do not have to be a Quaker to know we are a Society, a Community, a Body, the Body of Christ. Sail on your journey with your friends. Sail with a Brother, a Sister, a Pastor, a Teacher. Sail with an Evangelist, a Prophet and if you are fortunate enough, sail with an Apostle. Sail with a husband, a wife, a friend of the family. Sail together with the family of God.

The Psalmist declared:

“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. He commands and raises the stormy wind which lifts the waves thereof. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits end. They cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so, He brings them to their desired haven” (Psalm 107:23-30).

If you are sailing, you will encounter trouble. You will be in distress at times. With whom are you sailing? The Lord? Your brothers, sisters, friends in Christ? Your Pastor, Counselor?

May the Lord bring you safely to your desired haven. May He fill you and fulfill you as you plunge through the waters of life, as you go on in your journey. Sail on.

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