Intro: We have been through some very bad storms. It will be a long time before we forget the impact of superstorm Sandy. The loss of life, property, electricity, was devastating for many. More recently, we have all been affected by the Covid-19 virus pandemic. Some of us have lost relatives and friends. Many businesses and churches were shut down, and some may never open again. We were told to not to leave our homes until absolutely necessary. And now, just as it seemed to be under control because of the vaccine, there has been a resurgence of a variant Covid-19 virus.

Because of the pandemic, new stresses were put on people and families. These stresses  included financial, physical, and emotional stresses. So, the question I want to raise this morning is; Where is Jesus in the storm?

The Cast of People v. 1-2

Luke, Paul,  and some other prisoners started their journey to Rome

Julius, the centurion, was in charge of the prisoners

Aristarchus, a voluntary prisoner and assistant to Paul was with them

The Start of the Journey v. 3-8

They boarded a ship at Adramyttium to sail to ports along the coast of the province of Asia

Sidon, a stop where friends ministered to Paul allowed by Julius

They set out again and the journey started to get rough

The Warning v. 9-12

It took a lot of time to travel minimal distances because of the winds and weather in the fall

Paul gave them a warning

We don’t know if Paul gave them a warning from his experience as a traveler 2 Cor. 11:25

This was a warning to be taken seriously

Great loss to the ship, cargo, and their own lives

The centurion decided to do things his way and followed the advise of the pilot and the ship’s owner

Note: There are consequences when we don’t listen to godly counsel

The Storm v. 13-20

There was an usual south wind, so they started to sail again thinking they could make good traveling time before the bad weather came

It wasn’t too long after they set sail that they ran into a nor’easter storm of hurricane force winds

The ship got caught in the storm and could not head into the wind and the ship was tossed about

Even the life boat which was towed behind the ship was in peril

The crew tried to save the ship with ropes because of the possibility of running aground on a sandbar

The boat took a beating and the next day, the crew began to jettison cargo

One the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard

The storm went on for many days and they finally gave up all hope of being saved

The Encouragement v. 21-26

After they all had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said to them that they should have taken his advice

Then he urges them to keep up their courage, because bot one of them will be lost, only the ship will be destroyed

This was a Word from the Lord

An angel of the God stood beside Paul and said, “Don not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.”

So Paul admonished them to keep up their courage because Paul has faith in God that He always keeps his promises

So, Paul told the crew to be prepared when they run aground on some island

Closing: Storms of life:

Death of a loved one

Divorce

A diagnosis of a terminal disease

A diagnosis of a chronic disease

A loss of a job

A serious auto accident

Losing a house in a super storm or fire

Others

What storms of life are you experiencing right now? If you are Christ follower, I want to suggest to you that Jesus is right there with you in the storm to give you assurance and strength and encouragement.
If you are not a Christ follower, then the question is; Where do you go for encouragement and strength to meet the challenge of the storm?