Acts 27:25 (ESV) – So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

Have you ever watched a movie where one of the characters is waiting on another character to come through before something bad happens? “I know he’ll come through.” “He’ll be here, trust me.” “Let’s give him another minute. He’ll come.” These types of statements get said because the character believes the hero of the story will come through. They believe in the hero.

We see a similar story in Acts 27. In this story, Paul is sailing with a boat full of people, most unbelievers. The storms are dangerous and threatening to destroy the boat. Many of the men are thinking of abandoning ship. They want to bail because it feels like the best chance to survive. But Paul urges them not to. Why? Because God told Paul in a vision during the night that nobody would die if they stayed on the ship and rode out the storm. Paul tells them the news, just as many are ready to jump. He then says this, “So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”

Notice that Paul says, “take heart.” He is telling them to be courageous. This is needed because they are fearful. They believe their lives are about to end. But Paul encourages them to take heart because he believes God. The NASB translation of this passage has Paul saying, “I believe God.” He has faith in what God said to him. He’s not letting the circumstances dictate his beliefs. The winds and waves are real, but they don’t outweigh God’s Word to him. He believes God.

This is such an incredible lesson for us. Do we believe God? Do we trust His Word and promises to us? This is the heart of the Christian faith. In the midst of troubles and afflictions, we are tempted like those on the boat to jump to things that we think will keep us safe. But God’s people believe what He says. When He gives us promises in His Word, we need to fix our eyes on them despite what circumstances swirl around us. This is faithfulness. Like Paul, let’s be people who can say in all circumstances, “I believe God.”

The heart of the Christian faith is to trust God's Word and His promises to us. In the midst of troubles and afflictions, we need to keep our eyes fixed on the promises of His Word.
This is faithfulness.

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Reflection & Journal:
- Why do the people on the boat want to jump ship? 
- What is the anchor in Paul’s statement that nobody is going to die in this storm? 
- How can we learn from this passage in our own lives?

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