TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2025

FINDING JEHOVAH SHALOM IN THE EYE OF THE EUROCLYDON

Acts 27:7-44: The Faith That Keeps Both Heart and Mind

Author: Pastor E. A. Adeboye

MEMORY VERSE: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – (Philippians 4:7)

Introduction: The Inevitability of Turbulence

Let us begin with a truth the Lord has made abundantly clear: God has not promised us a storm-free life. In this journey of faith, to walk with Christ is not to walk upon perpetually calm waters. The moment we embrace salvation, we accept the reality of a world opposed to light, a reality that often manifests as tribulation, crisis, and challenge. Jesus Himself delivered the definitive pronouncement: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

This is the great exchange offered to us: the world gives us tribulation, but Jesus gives us good cheer (courage, confidence, hope) because He has already secured the victory. When we truly make Jesus our Lord, we are not granted immunity from the storm’s presence, but we are guaranteed peace and safety amidst terrible storms.

Our Bible reading for today, the dramatic narrative of Paul’s voyage to Rome in Acts 27, is a masterclass in this principle. It shows us how a man whose life was anchored in God became the vessel of peace and preservation for two hundred and seventy-six souls who had lost all hope. When the chaos of the world screams, the peace of God, which is a Divine Person, Jehovah Shalom, steps in.

1. The Peace of Divine Warning (The Prophetic Check)

The first manifestation of peace is often found not in deliverance from the storm, but in the warning that precedes it.

Paul was a prisoner, destined to stand trial before Caesar. He was onboard a merchant ship commanded by an experienced master and owned by a seasoned owner. They had sailed slowly, encountering initial difficulties until they reached a temporary refuge called The Fair Havens. This was a critical juncture.

The Perception of the Prisoner

As the season progressed and conditions grew treacherous, Paul, the former tentmaker and current prisoner, spoke a word of caution:

“…Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.” (Acts 27:10)

This was not the advice of a trained navigator; it was the prophetic perception of a man whose spirit was constantly tuned to Heaven’s frequency. When you make Jesus your Lord, He installs a divine sensitivity within you—a spiritual radar that will warn you beforehand of some storms.

Whenever you sense a “check in the spirit,” a sudden wave of unease, or a persistent spiritual heaviness about a particular move you are about to make (a job change, a business partnership, or a major decision), that might very well be Jesus trying to shield you from a coming storm.

The Danger of Disdain for the Simple Voice

The tragedy of this moment lies in the response of the authorities:

“Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.” (Acts 27:11)

The centurion’s mistake was to prioritize human experience and worldly expertise over divine perception. He reasoned: “Why should I listen to a prisoner, a man of religion, when I have the seasoned captain right here?”

Sometimes, God will send the instruction that will bring you peace and preservation through people you least expect. It might come through a child, a domestic staff, a less educated brother in the church, or a quiet check in your own spirit. People who always expect God to manifest Himself to them in a spectacular, dramatic manner often miss Him because He often chooses to express Himself with simplicity.

Because the centurion and the captain refused to listen to the simple word of caution, they sailed the ship straight into the Euroclydon , a terrible, tempestuous wind that quickly spiraled into a devastating crisis. Disobedience to a simple warning leads directly into a complex storm.

2. The Peace that Transcends Crisis (Philippians 4:7)

The severity of the storm was absolute. We must examine the conditions in the ship to appreciate the profound power of the peace that sustained Paul.

The Anatomy of Despair

The storm was a brutal sequence of escalating loss and hopelessness:

1. Loss of Control (v. 15): The ship was “caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.” They were tossed by forces beyond their mastery.
2. Loss of Possessions (vv. 18-19): They were forced to jettison the ship’s lading (cargo) and then the tackling (sailing equipment) with their own hands. They lost their material security.
3. Loss of Orientation (v. 20): “Neither sun nor stars in many days appeared.” They lost their points of navigation. In the spiritual sense, they lost their vision, their direction, and their ability to determine their position.
4. Loss of Hope (v. 20): “All hope that we should be saved was then taken away.” This is the final, most devastating loss. When hope is gone, the soul collapses.

For 276 people, this was hell on the sea—a chaotic, lightless, starving, and hopeless existence. But it was in the midst of this absolute anarchy that the peace of God became the single, unshakeable anchor.

The Spiritual Fortress

The peace we find in Christ is not the absence of trouble; it is the presence of the Lord in the trouble. This is the truth proclaimed in our memory verse: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The Greek word translated as “keep” (phroureō) is a military term. It means to garrison, to guard, or to hold as a fortress. The peace of God acts as a supernatural sentinel, standing watch over the two most vulnerable centers of your being:

1. Your Heart: The seat of your emotions, courage, and will. This sentinel prevents fear from taking control of your will.
2. Your Mind: The seat of your thoughts, reason, and logic. This sentinel prevents confusion, chaos, and doubt from convincing your mind that God has failed.

The peace that passes all understanding is peace that defies logic. The centurion and the sailors, looking at the same sea, were in utter despair. Paul, looking at the same sea, was able to stand forth and speak a word of encouragement. His heart and mind were not captive to the storm’s violence but were garrisoned by the Lord. This is the peace that comes not from the circumstances, but through Christ Jesus.

3. The Peace of Absolute Assurance (The Foundation of Identity)

After a “long abstinence” (fourteen days of fasting and despair), Paul finally stood up. His confidence was not manufactured; it was rooted in a fresh, powerful, and defining word from God delivered through an angel.

The Great Declaration of Ownership and Service

Paul’s first words to the terrified crew are perhaps the most powerful testimony to his inner peace:

“For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,” (Acts 27:23, emphasis added)

This statement is the definitive foundation of peace. Paul did not say, “The angel of the God I pray to,” or “The God who helps me sometimes.” He anchored his entire identity and assurance on two non-negotiable spiritual realities:

1. Ownership: Whose I am. He knew he belonged totally to God. When you are owned by the Almighty, your life is insured. No storm can sink what God holds. Knowing whose you are removes the panic of self-preservation.
2. Service: Whom I serve. His life had purpose. He knew his destiny was tied to his assignment—to stand before Caesar. If his destination was Rome, no wind from the Adriatic Sea could stop him. Knowing whom you serve replaces fear with faith-filled determination.

The Peace That Spills Over

Because Paul’s identity was secure, the promise he received extended beyond himself. The angel said: “Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.” (Acts 27:24).

This is a phenomenal truth: Your peace brings salvation to others. God preserved 275 desperate, despairing souls because of the destiny of one man who carried His peace. When you refuse to panic, your faith becomes the life raft for those around you—your family, your colleagues, your community. Your peace becomes their shelter.

Paul’s conclusion was therefore a word of powerful, contagious confidence:

“Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” (Acts 27:25)

Paul’s peace did not just settle his own heart; it initiated a shift in the atmosphere of the entire ship. Faith is the bridge between the promise and the reality, and Paul confidently built that bridge for everyone to cross.

4. The Peace of Faith in Action (The Necessary Participation)

A common mistake believers make is confusing faith with passive fatalism—thinking that God’s promise means they can fold their arms and do nothing. Paul shows us that divine decrees require human participation; faith is active, not passive.

A. Conditional Salvation and Human Effort (vv. 30-32)

When the shipmen tried to flee in the lifeboat, seeking only their own preservation, Paul’s prophetic peace returned as practical wisdom:

“Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.” (Acts 27:31)

God had promised that no one would be lost, but that promise was conditional upon the sailors’ expertise remaining on board. Paul recognized that even though the outcome was decreed by God, the process required the faithful application of human skill and obedience. The soldiers acted immediately, cutting the ropes and destroying the escape craft, thereby committing everyone to the divine promise, through the required human effort.

B. The Communion of Thanksgiving (vv. 33-36)

After fourteen days of starvation, Paul, who carried the spiritual light, realized the crew needed physical sustenance to endure the final moments of the wreck. His action here is arguably the most powerful spiritual act of the entire chapter:

“And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.” (Acts 27:35-36)

This was a communion of thanks in the face of imminent death. Paul did not wait for the sun to shine, the waves to calm, or the land to appear. He gave thanks right in the face of the tempest.

Thanksgiving Releases Strength: The act of thanking God released not just cheer, but physical and emotional strength into 276 souls.

Thanksgiving Defies Circumstance: Giving thanks in the storm is the ultimate act of faith, declaring that the Giver is greater than the trial.

C. Lightening the Load (v. 38)

Finally, after eating, they “lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.” This was the final, critical act of releasing everything that hindered their survival.

In our own spiritual storms, we must be ready to jettison unnecessary cargo—the worries, the pride, the resentment, the material attachments that weigh down the soul. We must cast out the wheat (even the good things that are now hindering) in order to preserve the life.

5. The Final Landing: Safety Through the Broken Pieces

The journey ended exactly as the angel foretold: they were cast upon an island. The ship ran aground, the forepart stuck fast, and the hinder part was “broken with the violence of the waves.” (v. 41). The vessel of their worldly security was destroyed.

This final image contains another profound truth: God will rescue you from every storm and ensure that nothing is missing or broken in your life, but the deliverance may come through the broken pieces of the things you trusted. They did not walk off the ship intact; they escaped: “some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.” (v. 44).

Your marriage, your business, or your ministry may seem broken like the ship, but God’s peace guarantees that your life, your destiny, and your soul will escape safe to land. The damage may be real, but the preservation is complete.

When you make the Lord your peace (Jehovah Shalom), He calms your heart even in the midst of life’s fiercest trials, and He guarantees that you will emerge victorious. Your peace is the divine evidence that the storm is merely a temporary passage to the land of your destiny.

KEY POINT

When the Lord is your peace, no matter the severity of the storms you face, you will emerge victorious, becoming the source of hope and preservation for those around you.

PRAYER

Father, I thank You for being Jehovah Shalom. I receive the peace that passes all understanding today. Let this peace garrison my heart and mind. Give me the sensitivity to heed Your simple warnings and the courage to act in faith when the storm rages. Let my life be anchored entirely in the knowledge of whose I am and whom I serve, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

LUKE 1-2

HYMNAL: 29 WHEN PEACE LIKE A RIVER ATTENDETH MY WAY

1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,

when sorrows like sea billows roll;

whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

Refrain:

It is well with my soul;

it is well, it is well with my soul.

2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

let this blest assurance control:

that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

and has shed his own blood for my soul. Refrain

3 My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

my sin, not in part, but the whole,

is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;

praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

4 O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;

even so, it is well with my soul.