Paul Sails For Rome

Paul Sails for Rome

Q: What happened on the trip to Rome?

• a. Paul’s boat was shipwrecked.
• b. Paul was thrown overboard to calm the storm.
• c. Paul escaped overboard.

Paul had been arrested again for sharing the gospel. He asked to go to Rome to have his case heard. Before going, he testified to Herod Agrippa II, who found Paul innocent (see Acts 26). But because Paul had requested to go to Rome to be tried, he still had to make that trip.

Paul, along with other prisoners, was sent to Rome by boat. Luke, his doctor friend, and Aristarchus went with him.

After battling winds and making slow progress, the ship stopped in Crete. Paul urged the sailors to stay at that port for the winter, but they wanted to push on farther before taking a break in their travels.

Before they’d gone far, gale-force winds beat against the ship, tossing it in the waves. For days everyone feared they’d die. But God sent an angel to tell Paul he’d make it to Rome and not one life would be lost, although they’d be shipwrecked.

Paul urged everyone to eat, and then they threw what they didn’t need overboard to lighten the load. The sailors tried to steer the ship toward a sandy shore they spotted. They hit a sandbar, and the ship ran aground and was stuck. The force of the waves began to break the ship apart. The passengers jumped into the water and made it to shore by either swimming or holding on to boards. No one was lost.

God didn’t stop the storm, but he took Paul and his companions safely through it. God may not stop trouble from coming, but he will be with us as we face it.

For You

You will face trouble and storms in life. God may not stop them all, because he knows they will help you grow and learn to trust him. He also won’t leave you to weather the storms alone; he’ll be there to guide you through.

Answer: a

They hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.   Acts 27:41

(The Whole Story: Acts 26–27)