Encouragement

---

I recently read a phrase that got me thinking: ‘Fair winds and following seas.’ It is a nautical way of saying, ‘Conditions for sailing are optimum.’ In spiritual terms we would say, in the words of the hymn-writer, ‘It is well with my soul.’ Interestingly, this hymn was written against a nautical figurative background.
It brings to mind the story of Acts 27 when Paul set out for Rome as a prisoner. There is a detailed account of this journey which turned out to be quite an adventure.
1. The winds were against us v4
2. We made slow headway... The wind did not allow us to hold our course v7
3. A gentle south wind began to blow fooled them v13
4. Before long, a wind of hurricane force swept down v14
5. We were caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we had to give way and were driven along. v15
6. We took such a violent battering v18
7. The storm continued raging... we finally gave up all hope of being saved v20.
This plots the course of the journey in seven stages and there are three things that we can notice.
1. Like the course of the storm, many things happen in our lives that seem to take us in one direction or another. These things are often behind our ‘Why, Lord?’ questions and also our ‘Why me, Lord?’ questions which sometimes bother us more than the first ones! They are life events that happen to us without our permission and usually without our approval. We need to learn to say, in the face of these things, ‘It is well with my soul’. This is not to bury your head in the sand and pretend everything is alright. It is rather a confidence in the Lord that He has not only a loving heart, but also a strong arm that is in perfect control of all our life events. Storms will come, maybe even hurricanes, but He doesn’t love us any less in the hurricane than in the gentle breeze.
2. There are two options open to us when we are being threatened with shipwreck in our lives. We can either panic or we can pray. I think the natural thing to do is to panic first and then when that doesn’t work, pray. It is clear from Acts 27 that Paul was listening to the Lord and he was able not only to be strengthened but he was able to encourage the others. So panic – I know from personal experience – doesn’t work. It allows adrenalin to take over and we usually make bad decisions when we are in that sort of situation. Panic is fuelled by fear, not faith. Confidence, on the other hand, is fed by faith. And when we add to our confidence the awesome power of the Lord, we can be sure that our fear of the storm will be considerably diminished and, like Paul, we will be able to be a witness.
3. Throughout this terrifying event, Paul remained calm and practical. He had told them not to set out from Crete. He was wise to the plans of the sailors to abandon ship and he told the centurion to order the soldiers to cut the ropes of the lifeboat. He then pointed out that they had been at sea for fourteen days, thus bringing some perspective to the whole experience. After this he told them to eat and shared his faith with them, giving thanks for the food. The result was that they were all encouraged.
Being practical is all about applied wisdom. Sometimes we can be most spiritual when we are most practical, giving direction, putting our hand to the plough, rolling up our sleeves and jumping into action. What a different experience it would have been for the prisoners and the soldiers and the crew if Paul had not been on board. Let us draw strength from our God and let us say with the hymn writer, ‘Whatever befalls me He has taught me to say, ‘It is well with my soul’ – whether we have ‘fair winds and following seas’ or strong winds and the tide against us. As Paul said, in v25 of the story, ‘Keep up your courage!’

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE