Through No Fault of Our Own

July 2

I Chronicles 3-5

Psalm 77:16-20

Proverbs 17:1-2

Acts 27

Through No Fault of Our Own

“But the centurion paid attention to the captain and the owner of the ship rather than to what Paul said……. For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the severe storm kept raging. Finally, all hope that we would be saved was disappearing…. For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood before me, and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me.” Acts 27:11,20,23-25 HCSB

Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult circumstances through no fault of our own. We can be doing everything right, following God’s leading and doing what we are supposed to do, but someone close to us makes bad choices that result in very bad problems for us. Unfortunately, we often cannot control the actions of those around us. No matter how bad we want them to seek God and follow His leading, sometimes that does not happen, and we suffer the consequences. This happened to Paul. He was a prisoner taken on a ship to Rome. Paul told the officers on the ship that they should not go forward. He warned them of the consequences, but they chose not to listen to him. They proceeded on their route and a very bad storm came up that threatened all their lives. While the storms of life that we face often don’t physically threaten our lives, it sure can feel that way. A spouse who has an affair and chooses to leave his family, a child who succumbs to drug addiction, an employee who embezzles money and causes the company to fail and many to lose their jobs, a father who decides he isn’t “happy” and walks out on his family. These are just a few examples of many where our lives can be turned upside by the choices of others. In those situations, we may feel like the people on that ship who thought “all hope that we would be saved was disappearing.” It is incredibly scary. There is nothing we can do to change the situation and we feel hopeless and helpless.

In those times, it is important that we recognize that while we cannot do anything to “fix” the situation, we know who can. The only One who can actually make a difference loves me and is taking care of me. Even during horrible situations, God has my back. God gives each of us free will and our choices inevitably affect those around us. We don’t just suffer for our own bad choices. Thankfully, we can be assured that God will look out for us. We are not shielded from all difficult circumstances, but God never leaves us, and He is constantly working on our behalf to bring about good for us. God protected Paul and all of those on the ship with him because His plan was for Paul to go to Rome and stand before Caesar. We can know that God’s plans will be carried out. In difficult times, it is so hard to see how God can possibly work good through it, but He is faithful, and He will bring us through to the other side. If we continue to seek Him and we remain faithful, He will not let us down.