Friday, July 10, 2015

Paul, the know it all

today's readings: 1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40, Acts 27:1-20, Psalm 7:1-17, Proverbs 18:22

ok, so you might notice i pick on Paul alot. and i don't really feel too bad. i mean, he gets alot of credit. and he wrote most of the NT. so i think he's gotten alot of acclaim... he can afford a little criticism. ;)

today, he's bossing the ship's captain around. he's not a professional sailor, but he tells the professional sailors what they should be doing. the fact that he turns out to be right doesn't change the fact that he's telling people their business and being kind of a jerk :)

i like the image above, because it gives you a feel for what it must have been like to be driven before the wind across the Mediterranean Sea. and Paul says that during their voyage, "all hope was lost". the sailors were scared...and it doesn't help that the know-it-all Paul is saying "i told you so... i'm going to write this in the Bible and everyone for all time will know you guys made a dumb decision..."

you've been there, haven't you? driven before the winds? off course? scared and confused? made a decision that seemed right at the time, when the sun was shining and the sky was blue, that now seems like the dumbest thing you've ever heard? and some self-righteous person is telling you that if only you had followed their advice, everything would be ok?

but He's there for us in the storm. when those sailors were afraid for their lives, He was with them. when 9/11 happened, people asked "where is God?" the answer is... right there in the middle of what's happening, feeling the pain of every victim, comforting every broken heart.

He is with you, too. right now. maybe your sky is blue and the sun is shining. He's here. maybe you've been driven before the winds for days, and all hope is lost. He's here with you, right now. reach out to Him, wherever you are. He's been reaching out to you this whole time... and reading this blog, right now, is an expression of Him reaching out to you. reach back.

God, thank You for being there for us in the middle of our storms. help us to have the courage to reach back to You.

1 comment:

Julie said...

Reading today reminded me of one of my favorite book, "in the eye of the storm." I read it quite often and see different things due to my situation at the time of the reading. "in the eye of the storm, a must read over and over.