Fixed Point

Acts 27:13–20

“When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.”

The vicissitudes of life may wear us down, but let it not our faith in the God  over the storm and sunshine alike. No matter how quickly (or at times painfully slowly) circumstances change like from a gentle southern Mediterranean wind to a violent northeasterly (vv. 13-14) we never give up hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. The Living Life writer reminds us that “when everything around us is shaken, we realize what we place our trust in, and we may lose all hope in the things of this world. We do not have to remain in hopelessness, however, because we can always find hope in God.” The Bible says, “Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise up and stand firm (Psa 20:6–8).” When I was a new Christian, the words of an old hymn provided much encouragement: “Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see—O Thou who changest not, abide with me.” Friends, the Cross of Christ is our sole fixed point in life so we never give up. God’s Son is our sun that’s always there contra v. 20, The Lord is always with us, who dwells within us, the northern star of our navigation, and we keep our gaze on Him alone, the author, finisher, and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2) and unto Him we stand in awe, clinging to His robe we wonder, “who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey Him (Mark 4:41)!"