Canaan Bible Chapel

Dr. Craig Newborn tells how, on a visit to China with his family, they were traveling by boat one day through the water passages that area is known for. People and merchants alike dwell on the water in houseboats.

As they slowly moved along with the assistance of a boatman, they were shocked to take in a sight that stunned them beyond belief! A man was standing on the edge of a houseboat with a small child in his arms. The baby was about 1 year old. The man smiled and kissed the baby as he hugged him and talked quietly to him. Without any warning, the father threw the baby in the water! Dr. Newborn and his family screamed with horror. Their boatman quickly held up his hand to silence them and said, "Just watch."

As the baby surfaced and bobbed in the water, the father pulled the baby back to him with a rope that was attached to his clothing. He laughed as he hugged and kissed the baby, then threw him overboard again! Over and over the father repeated the exercise, much to the astonishment of Dr. Newborn and his family.

The boatman turned to them and said, "Look where they live...they cannot afford to have a child who does not know how to swim! Children learn to swim before they learn to walk when they live on a boat."

When we are pressed with trials and seemingly overwhelming, frightening experiences, it is good to know that our Father, Protector, Friend and Savior are at the end of our lifeline. God sees the beginning from the end. God knows the reason why we get "thrown overboard".

Psalm 103 reminds us God is in control. The father in the story was in absolute, awesome control! Out of love and concern for his child, he put the baby in an unusual, unfamiliar situation to teach him something that could someday save his life! But all the time, the father demonstrated his love and protection so that the child learned to have complete confidence and trust in his parent.

Psalm 91 is often used by many Christians who expect God to deliver them from all trouble. In His wisdom and sovereignty - and love - God can allow something perceivably contrary to our good to occur. We cannot always know the reason why. We cannot translate "being good" into "being safe". But God often teaches us through hardship and distress, lessons that have a purpose - and may even save our lives. What we may think is the best next step could be disastrous. Psalm 91 testifies to what God has chosen to do on occasion in the past, assures us of what He is able to do today, and reminds us of His awesome omnipotent power to keep us in the future.

In Acts 27 Paul sails for Rome as a prisoner with 276 other people on the ship on the edge of winter - a very unusual time to set out. The voyage was fraught with storms and setbacks from the start. They were in a hurricane for two weeks! Their vessel was a far cry from the sturdy boats of today that are heavily armed with navigation technology and safety devices.

In Paul's account of the trip, he tells how they made slow headway for many days. They were at the mercy of the wind, which often altered their course and the way they handled the ship. Off the shore of Crete the storm became so violent, Paul says "When the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive" (verse 15). They took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began throwing the cargo overboard. (verse 18)

But by the fourteenth night, Paul tells us in verse 27, they were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. By now, the sailors had given up hope. Fearing they were being driven into the shallows and the rocks, they dropped all four anchors and prayed for morning. (verse 29)

Except for boating and sailing enthusiasts, few people today have ever come close to experiencing a real shipwreck. Yet, often the events of our modern lives emulate this same kind of upset and destruction. Sometimes, the pressure and stress from things we cannot control feel like giant waves crashing over us. Our lives appear to be as close to shipwreck as what Paul describes. Paul is clearly in the center of God's will for his life, but why is he having such great difficulty? Does this describe your life right now?

Survival Skills For Storms

1. 1. Go with the storm.
   Storms usually change your plans - and that can be a good thing. Storms mean you have no control. God puts us through storms because He loves us. They blow us back into His arms! They teach and remind us of His power over circumstances. In verse 17, the word "ropes" has the same meaning as the Greek verb "to hold in grace". During the storm, we are held in God's grace.

2. 2. Get rid of cargo you don't need. (verses 18-19)
   ) Storms may mean you have things in your life that you don't need....or maybe shouldn't be there anyway. What should go? Anything that hinders. Put out the garbage. It may be your language, your peers, how you spend your time, how you regard God's role in your life. What weighs you down?

3. 3. Get busy with things that really matter - people.
   In verses 21 and 22 Paul gathers the sailors around him and encourages them. He assures them that even though the ship may be destroyed they will not perish. Focus on the people in your life. If they are "okay" everything else is just "stuff".

4. 4. Get back to God.
   In the midst of the roaring wind, the driving rain and the crashing waves, God speaks to Paul through an angel (verse 23). Paul says, "For I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me" (verse 25). Get closer to God during the crisis. Stop and look for Him in the storm. Let Him speak to you through others.

5. 5. Do things that make you strong.
   Spend time with God - that's not negotiable. In verse 29, we see they cut their temporary lifelines, and prayed. You must focus on the Saviour. Eat, rest and fellowship. Build your total strength - body, mind and spirit. Paul gathered everyone together and broke bread, encouraging them to eat as much as they wanted.

6. 6. Cut the anchors that are holding you back.
   Fearing they would be dashed on the rocks, the sailors dropped all their anchors and tried to wrap the ship with the ropes. Some even dropped lifeboats, thinking they could escape unnoticed. Paul tells the soldiers who were on board that unless everyone stays with the ship, they cannot be saved, and the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboats. If you are in a holding pattern that is not consistent with God's will, you have to sever the things that keep you from moving ahead. Don't count on a lifeboat; count on God.

At the end of the chapter, Paul and everyone on the ship "reached the land in safety" in spite of the ship being completely destroyed. They had never been out of control...they were right on course.

With the advent of GPS and online mapping services come accounts of travelers who have been led down dead end roads, into the heart of big, traffic -snarled cities, and to points that lie far from their intended destination. In some cases, people have lost their lives stranded on snow-drifted wilderness roads with no cell phone signal available. A recent news item described how a group of cyclists in Portland, OR tested out a new GPS program for bikers. The goal of the program was to take bike riders on special routes that avoid a lot of traffic and other vehicles. Due to a few obvious glitches in the program, several riders were treated to harrowing, lengthy routes that eventually got them to their destination, but left them exhausted and aggravated.

Global Positioning technology has its merits. But so far, it cannot be considered an exacting, reliable service. Everyone who uses it can attest to bouts of ambiguity in the journey. To use it effectively, you have to know two things: where you are starting from, and where you want to be at the end of the journey. What happens in between these two points makes all the difference. Sometimes the fastest route isn't always the most comfortable route. Likewise, the scenic route can add miles to your trip and leave you without comfort stops for long periods of time.

Advice to GPS and mapping services users: don't rely totally on the technology; use a little common sense when plotting your route, and always have an alternate plan. AA A and other travel services offer easy, practical tips on how to be prepared for long trips. For example, cell phones won't work everywhere, so another means of attracting attention and putting out an SOS should be part of your backup plan. Be prepared with extra food, clothing, and money.

Our journey through life is like taking a trip on a much larger scale. We need to be aware of where we are and where we are headed. We have to be prepared for the journey. If you know Jesus Christ personally and have accepted His plan of salvation for you - you're already in a good place. Your destination is Heaven and eternity with the Living God. What happens between now and then requires constant diligence about your surroundings, the people you interact with, and resources for the journey. If you have never experienced the cleansing, complete redemption of the shedding of Christ's blood for your sin, you have an opportunity now to get on the right road that will change your life and your destination. Otherwise, you are headed toward an eternity of destruction and suffering in a place the Bible calls Hell.

God has provided us with the ultimate, true set of directions for our lives: The Bible. Daniel called God's Word "the Book of Truth" (Daniel 10:21). In Hebrews 4:12 we read, "For the Word of God is living and active....". The Bible holds the answers to every situation mankind has ever - or will ever - encounter. It speaks to family dynamics, relationships, love, politics, personal issues, global and national events, finance, nature...... and the future! The Bible is God's way of communicating with us. It is where His voice is heard. The Scriptures were written through divine inspiration, and have been tried and tested from the beginning. Its principles and direction from God are what provide us with the best route for our journey.

If you are on the road to Heaven, make it a part of your travel plan to stop along the way and find someone who is lost - someone who doesn't know where he is in life, or where he is going.

If you are not on the road to Heaven, ask Jesus to forgive you of your past sins and invite Him into your life as Lord of your heart, your home, and your future. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me." (John 14:6)

Some drivers like to ignore the directions from their GPS and pick an exit or route that GPS doesn't recommend. If you know the area, that can work for you. If you are in unfamiliar territory, you probably will do better to not look for shortcuts, but stick to the map.

God's Word won't put you on the wrong exit or take you down the wrong road. It is infallible. But you have to know what it says. You can't ignore God's directions for life.

We challenge you today to get into God's Word and find new direction for your journey. If we at Canaan Bible Chapel can answer any questions, please contact us through the website or call the church office.