Not One Life Will Be Lost

All two hundred seventy-six reach land

The Sea of Adria · c. AD 59 · Acts 27:21–44

Story

When everyone had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up and said, “Now take heart. Only the ship will be lost. Not one of your lives will be lost. Last night an angel of the God I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. God has given you the lives of everyone sailing with you.’”

On the fourteenth night the sailors sensed they were nearing land, and they dropped four anchors from the stern. Then they tried to slip away secretly in the lifeboat. Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” The soldiers cut the ropes of the lifeboat. Just before dawn Paul took bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat. Then they were all encouraged and ate too.

There were two hundred seventy-six people on board. When day came, they saw a bay with a sandy beach, but the ship struck a place where two currents met and ran aground, and the stern was broken apart. The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners so none would swim away and escape, but the centurion stopped them because he wanted to save Paul. Those who could swim jumped overboard first, and the rest held on to planks. In the end everyone reached land safely.

Words of the Lord and of Paul

Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. God has given you the lives of everyone sailing with you.

So take heart, men. I trust God. It will happen just as he told me.

Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.

The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: Acts 27:21–44

Background

Pause and Reflect