Resources > Drive Thru Punched By The Storm...The A in Anchor Posted by Rev. Jeff Dixon, Senior Equipping Minister, CCC Ministries on Aug 10, 2009, 16:20

Punched By The Storm
A as in Anchor

Chapter 27 of Acts describes with tremendous detail one of the dangers that the apostle Paul encountered during his ministry. We can survive the “storm punches” of life, and it helps to have an anchor to stabilize the ship. An interesting sidebar of chapter 27 is the information about nautical techniques used during the first century. One of the survival tactics was to drop anchor not to secure a position but to stabilize the ship.

Using the letters of the word ANCHOR as an outline, we can apply these survival strategies to our lives.

Here is the A in Anchor....Analyze Your Attitude

Notice the contrast in the attitudes of the apostle Paul and the crew. In verses 10-12 we read...“Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

The crew rejects the advice of Paul and listens to the owner of the ship whose only concern is to make a profit.

Later in verses 20-22 we discover...When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.  When the crew has lost all hope, they finally listen to Paul’s and hear his exhortation to take courage.

This is an amazing turn of events. The reluctant sailor is now the confident comforter, and the arrogant sailors are now cowering in fear.

The transformation illustrates what can happen when our attitude is out of alignment. When we overestimate our ability, we operate in a realm of pride. Seasoned sailors knew they should not have attempted this journey during the storm season, but like a rebellious teenager trying to conquer the world by himself, these men set sail. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:9 that pride goes before the fall. Not only did the crew overestimate their ability, they underestimated the adversity.

The description of the storm indicates that it was a typhoon with hurricane strength. After surviving the year of the hurricane in Florida I can't imagine what it was like to face a storm like this on the water! The storm was so violent that it drove the ship away from land. They lost all control. Darkness enveloped them with no sight of sun or moon for several days.

Perhaps you have experienced a similar darkness, or you know someone who feels helpless, battered, and tossed around by the severity of their circumstances.

Another aspect of the crew’s attitude was their exaggeration of negative possibilities. They saw death as the only option. This attitude is what happens often in the case of divorce, suicide, scandal, or tragic unexpected circumstances when individuals choose a permanent solution to a temporary problem. People are convinced they would be better off if they could just die. They are wrong of course, but that is how bad they often feel.

Charles Swindoll has wisely said that life is 10 percent what happens, and 90 percent is determined by our attitude in response to what happens. When facing storms, we must guard our attitudes by not overestimating our ability, underestimating adversity, or exaggerating the possibilities.

Driving Thru Life With You!
Next Time...the N in anchor.