Washed Ashore
ACTS 27: 21-44 (July 10)
We continue our Titanic saga today; not with Jack, Rose, and Captain Smith, but with Paul, Luke and the other 274 people on board the ship sailing for Italy.
They were still fighting the northeaster and no one had taken any time to eat. Paul called them all together for an "I told you so" moment. He had previously warned them about setting off in the winds.
He also encouraged them with the following words, "For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, "Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.' So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island."
On the fourteenth night of this battle, the sailors sensed land was near and measured the water. They feared they would be driven against the rocks along the shoreline, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.
Right about the time the sun was coming up, Paul got them all to eat something. He assured them, again, that they would not drown. After eating, the crew threw the rest of the cargo of wheat overboard.
They had no idea where they were, but they were at a bay with a beach. They cut off the anchors, lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed towards shore, trying to run the ship aground.
But then they hit something. Not an iceberg like our other famous ship, but a shoal, which ran the ship aground too soon. The bow stuck fast while the stern was smashed over and over again by the forceful waves until it started breaking apart. (Now this is a scene from the movie that I will never forget!)
What to do with the prisoners? That was a BIG QUESTION! They thought about killing them so they wouldn't escape, but the commander did not want to kill Paul, so he blocked that plan. (I remember when they fiancée tried to kill Jack as part of his plan to get Rose back. The plan didn't work for him either.)
The commander ordered all who could swim to jump ship and swim for land. The rest held on to planks or debris from the broken ship and everyone made it safely to shore. (If you will remember in the Titanic movie, many held on to whatever they could find to keep them afloat in the icy water until they could be rescued. But very few made it back to shore. Most lives were lost at sea.)
These men were washed ashore, and I have a feeling they aren't out of the woods yet!