One Word from God Fixes Every Disaster

November 7, 2021

Acts 27:20-26

Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. ²¹ But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. ²² And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. ²³ For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, ²⁴ saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' ²⁵ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. ²⁶ However, we must run aground on a certain island."

We all go through life with different kinds of experiences. Today God wants to ask you some questions:

• Can you trust God when your life gets into a disaster?
• Can you put your trust in Him when you are faced with all manner of crisis?
• Can you trust Him even when things go unexpectedly wrong?
• Can you trust Him when your situation is so discouraging that you can't see any way of escape?
• Will you trust Him even when things seem hopeless?

The scripture we read talks about the situation of Paul and the others on the boat to Italy. The storm was raging. The wind was very heavy with the rain virtually pouring down. And in spite of the best efforts of the crew, the boat was being battered and beaten by the storm. The experience brought the morale of all the people in the boat to an all time low.

The Bible says in verse 20 that

"When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved."

I know there are periods when you feel just as battered and beaten and discouraged as the people on that boat. Circumstances get so bad that even people around you are also used by the devil in the place of encouragement you get condemnation. in place of support you receive abuse. you are blamed for all manner of calamities. You get overwhelmed by the storms in your life. Beloved, it is not unusual. Disasters come upon everyone irrespective of your stand in the Lord. Being born again does not seclude you from the storms of life.

The dictionary has a couple of definitions for 'disaster' but for the purpose of this message, I take the definition of disaster as:

- a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of life, damage, or hardship, as a flood, airplane crash, or business failure.

Some people may be going through some very powerful disasters right now. Perhaps there's a disaster brewing over your marriage. Is your marriage shipwrecked that there's no hope at all? Have you given up hope like the people inside the boat? (Acts 27:20).

Is it about your finances? Debts are accumulating far above the resources coming in. May be your health situation is so bad that the doctors have given a very bad prognosis.

Could it be that you feel battered, and storm tossed? And you have no idea why you feel that way. You can't put a finger on it. All you know is that you feel despair and discouragement and hopelessness. And things seem so bleak that there's no way out.

No matter what the disaster is, God has brought you to His presence today to answer your questions. There is good news for you friend! The good news is that in the middle of our own personal disaster, God gives us a word of hope! A message of encouragement!

In verse 22, Paul said to the people,

"Keep up your courage, because last night, I got a message from God!

Paul got a message in the disaster! He had a divine visitation.

Times of disasters are very difficult times in life. No matter how strong you are, when you meet a disaster, people around you and sometimes you yourself will begin to think you have done something wrong, that God must surely be punishing you. At such times many people do not understand that God has a divine purpose for every disaster. God does not send disasters but sometimes He allows us to go through them. Inside every disaster, God's voice always speaks to utter instructions and direction.

The voice of God is the Word of God and Jesus Christ is the Word of God according to John 1: 14. No disaster can withstand the word of God.

In Mark 4:35 - 39, the disciples were inside a boat being tossed by a great storm. Within the storm came the voice of Jesus that calmed the storm.

Israel experienced disaster in form of famine in 1 Kings 17. Elijah was affected by the famine. In the midst of the famine the voice of God came to him to give him divine direction. 1 Kings 17: 7-9:

And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

If Elijah was not sensitive to the voice of God, he would have missed his breakthrough and the lives of the widow, and her son would not have been spared. Disasters always help to bring out the best in peoples' lives. In fact it is during times of disaster that the stuff you are really made of comes out.

Disasters also come your way to get God's attention to you. Many times, you may be so 'busy' that God won't get the needed attention in your life, and He will permit a disaster.

What disaster are you facing today? God may want to say something to you. There is hope in that disastrous situation. You are here today to receive hope from the Lord concerning that disaster and the Lord says to tell you - 'You will not lose your life in that disaster.

The voice of the Lord is speaking to you today and He says:

Isaiah 43:1-2

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.

My prayer is that you would become more sensitive to the disasters that are stirring in your life today. Beloved, even when there's nothing you can do about them, there's always something that God can do. God cares about your disastrous circumstances.
And not only does God give you a message of hope for the disaster and several times a ministry for the disaster. He also gives you a purpose. When the storm first started, Paul might have been thinking, "Why is this happening, Lord? I thought you wanted me to testify before the emperor in Rome? I thought you wanted me to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the highest court in the land?" But in Chapters 27 and 28, we get the rest of the story. The boat ended up on the island of Malta way on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea. And Paul was able to minister the Lord's healing power to a people who had never experienced it before. And for the next three months, Paul was able to share the message of this new life.