Let.

Us pray, and the rest some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land. Acts 27:44. As I continue on the journey to my destiny, and when the storms of life begin to beat on the ship of my life, I will urge those around me that God will bring us through, because the Lord is with me. Use me, Lord, to encourage those around me, even my enemies, that you have not forsaken us just because we've experienced a shipwreck moment. Through Paul's story in Acts 27, I will celebrate the fact that whether I come in one piece or whether my life arrives in pieces, I will get to my final destination no matter what. Thank you, Jesus, that the current of your favor will move me in the direction of my intended location. I am never lost when I put my hope and trust in you, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen. Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day. To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story. Brought to you by Biblein ayear. Com.

I'm Cheryl McCleom, host of the Cold Case podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer. Here, Carrie Lawson, daughter of the notorious serial killer, BTK, weigh in on the accused Long Island serial killers children.

You show genuine interest and you can't fake it, but these guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be walled off, prepared. And if you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call you out and they're going to be like, Nope, I'm talking to somebody else. I'm not talking to you.

Hear great insight from one of New York City's finest, Detective Joe Jackalone, a cold case expert.

You know, as well as.

I do, cops weren't even aware of it back then.

They're going to have some difficulty putting those cases together unless, of course.

He confesses. Listen to his own seven with Cheryl McCleom on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello, I'm Bishop TD, and I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms.

Close your eyes and focus on God. Picture Him as your shepherd that knows you and surrender to Him.

Each episode guides you on a serene exploration of Psalms, gently calming every nerve and restless, mind-turning adventure that keeps you up in the middle of the night, transposing you into the safety of His arms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to sleep songs with Bishop T. D. Jakes on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

The mighty storm. In our last story, Paul stood before King Agripa, telling his story and facing trial. Agripa was pleased with Paul, but did not set him free. Instead, Paul was sent to Rome, where he would face the judgment of Caesar. Now we hear of Paul's journey to Rome. He set sail with Roman soldiers, sailors, and prisoners. All seemed well until a mighty storm beat against the ship. Now Paul is forced to be a leader and comforter amidst a beast of nature, inspired by the Book of Acts.

Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of The Bible in a Year. In our previous time together, Paul appeared before Felix, the governor, and gave his defense against the false accusations of the Jewish leaders. Felix did not make a ruling, but left Paul under house arrest for two years. Then we heard, as Paul gave his testimony before King Agripa, a compelling, persuasive witness that nearly won the King for Christ. The King was inclined to release Paul, but because he had appealed to Caesar, he was sent off to appear before the most powerful man in the world. Today, we'll hear how Paul, under guard of Roman and with his friend and physician, Luke, by his side, sails towards Rome. Along the way, a mighty storm will arise and Paul will answer the call to comfort those who feared for their lives. Let's listen now to today's word from the Book of Acts.

The wind blew gently across the Mediterranean Sea. Paul looked above him, watching the sails flap in the wind. The seagulls flew idle behind the large sails, watching for any bread to fall below. Although Paul was going to Rome to face trial, he was thankful to be out of prison. The inviting sun and cool ocean breeze restored clarity to his mind. Although his body still ached from the beating, he rejoiced that he was able to stand in the sunlight. Luke was beside him, chronicling every moment of Paul's journey. He was a doctor and able to tend to Paul's injuries while out at sea. The two of them spoke to the sailors, connecting with them about the things of God as they sailed across the ocean towards Italy. The south wind blew softly, giving the captain the go-ahead to set course for Crete. As the sails caught the wind, the ship picked up speed. Its large frame bounced up and down over the ocean waves. They were drawing close to shore and all seemed well, until the south breeze shifted and a strong wind replaced it. The wind was from the northeast and it was an antagonizing foe for the captain and his crew.

They pulled tightly on the sails to keep course, but the wind was ripping at the side of the ship, throwing it on it. The crew managed to secure a course along a small island called Kauda. However, the wind made it impossible to drop anchor. They secured the cargo and braced for the wind to thrash even more. Then the rains came. They beat down relentlessly like arrows. For days, there were no stars or sun, only darkness and water. Although the ship had not sunk, there was no hope for being rescued. As the men were protecting themselves under the deck, Paul stood up. The winds howled above them, and the boat was rocking endlessly. Do not be afraid, men, for God has promised that we will get out of this. There will be no loss of life among you, for I am destined to get to Rome. His words brought little comfort as the beastly storm roared above them. It had been two weeks of the unrelenting tempest. They were rationing food, preparing for an even longer journey ahead. The ship was forced towards a group of jagged rocks near the island. If the captain did not act quickly, the whole crew would be lost.

So he ordered for all the anchors to be dropped at once. The chains were released and the ship was forced into a steady halt before it reached a rocky grave. The rain beat down even harder, and Paul could see a faint image of men preparing to jump overboard towards the rocks. Many of the sailors looked at the rocks for salvation. They considered jumping ship and swimming for the island. But Paul urged against it. You will meet an untimely death, Paul yelled. The men stopped and cursed at Paul, but they listened. The rain stopped, but the winds continued to howle. The waves filled the deck with water. They were like small giants beating against the side of the ship. Paul saw that the men were losing strength. They had deprived themselves of food to ration. Paul went down into the ship to retrieve some bread. He broke it, blessed it, and fed it to the men. You will need your strength, Paul said gently. You will not perish because of the sea or from starvation. The Lord is with you. Paul continued to smile, grateful for the opportunity to serve his captors. He was strengthened by the Spirit of God.

The men had set sail when the winds subsided and the dawn broke through the clouds. As the sun rose above the waters, the dim image of shore revealed itself through the fog. The men were encouraged and set course to run the ship onto the sand. However, they did not see the jagged reef dwelling below. As they approached the shore with hope, the boat's bottom began to tear apart from the sharp reef. The men were thrown forward and the boat's integrity began to perish. The waves crashed against the stern and the entire ship began to sink. The soldiers knew that they had to jump ship. However, they could not control the prisoners once they were in the water, so they drew their swords to kill the prisoners on board. The Centurion saw this and ordered his men to stop immediately. He had grown close to Paul and did not desire to see him perish. So the sailors, soldiers, and prisoners jumped ship together. The waves crashed over them, and many were held under the water for minutes at a time. But the Lord was in the sea. The current pushed them forward, and the waves hastily threw them towards the shore.

Broken and exhausted, all the men made it safely to shore.

We begin today's reading as Paul begins his journey to Rome, sailing across the Mediterranean Sea. This was not a non-stop straight shot to Caesar. Their voyage took them to ports throughout Asia Minor. Paul, though a prisoner, enjoyed a degree of freedom as they traveled, even getting to visit friends in port cities as they stopped. Luke was traveling with Paul, chronicling the trip and caring for Paul as his personal physician. As they traveled, Paul and Luke would no doubt have shared the gospel with Roman soldiers and the sailors on the ship. As their time at sea lengthened, the waters became less and less favorable for sailing. Paul even warned the Centurians that their voyage would prove to be costly, both in supplies and their own wellbeing. But the Centurian listened to the captain of the ship and moved forward. Then, just as Paul had predicted, as they sailed a course for Crete, the winds began to pick up, and soon they were caught up in a storm that was too mighty for the ship to deal with. They were blown off course, and as they hung on for dear life, they began tossing cargo and tackle overboard.

If you've ever been on a rough sea, you know how difficult this can be, even if it's just for a short while. They were in this storm three days with no stars or sun in the sky to guide them. The crew and the passengers had been many days without food. They were weary and worried to the point that they lost all hope of survival. That's when Paul stood up and spoke to them, saying an angel of the Lord had appeared to him, telling him he was to appear before Caesar and that his God had promised that no life would be lost, only the ship. Then in Acts 27:25, he says this, So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. When we find ourselves in the middle of the storms of life, we need to ask God to teach us as to how he can grow us in our faith. We can always advance positively through adversity. But here's something else we need to remember. God puts us in storms not only to perfect and correct us, but to use us to be a witness and a testimony to others.

When we fight our own battles or face our own storms, we have an opportunity to trust in God and to show our faith as well as share our faith with others. We have seen time and again in Scripture how works in the storms of life to reveal his powerful, miraculous, mighty hand in order to turn people to him. This is another example of how to deal with the storms of life. Paul, the prisoner, was now Paul, the leader and comforter again. He is Paul, the pastor. He urged the captain to run the ship ashore for this was the only way to save those on board. The storm, which had lasted two weeks already, was still not over. They were without hardly any strength, so Paul broke some of the remaining bread, thanking God and giving it to the men to eat. They navigated to an island and began trying to find a safe place away from the rocks to land, but to no avail. As the ship was forced closer to Periless Rocks, they ran into a reef. The ship was lost, but land was within reach. The soldiers feared the prisoners would escape, which would mean death for the soldiers for their failure.

They planned to kill them, including Paul. Fortunately, the Centurion had grown to trust Paul and stopped them. Everyone on the ship reached land safely, just as Paul had said. Once again, God's promises proved true, as they always do. This experience, though terrifying, enabled Paul to minister to lost men and point them to the God who saves. You may not understand why life storms come up, but when they do, God will use you to point others to Jesus if you will let him. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you that through the storms of life that you are always with us to give us courage and strength. We thank you for your presence, your powerful presence in our lives. We pray that we would comfort others with the comfort that we are comforted and the courage that you give us that we would impart to others. Thank you for today's reading that reminds us of this truth in Jesus' name, Amen. Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the pray. Com app and make prayer and Bible study the priority of your life. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love because by sharing this with others, you can make a difference in their lives.

A big, big difference. You can help ensure that more and more people hear these life-changing readings from God's word with a gift today. To keep these gospel-centered messages reaching people around the world, please give now at www. Bibleintheyear. Com. And if you want more resources on how to tap into God's power for Christian living, visit jackgraham. Org. When you visit us at jackgraham. Org, you will find many free resources as to how you may grow in your faith and share your witness with the gospel. We would love for you to take us up on that offering. God bless you.

This episode is sponsored by Metashare, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.

Hello, I'm Dr. Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have you join me on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible.

Come to.

Me, boy.

You and your God.

Will crumble beneath my feet. He beckened the giant and said.

I come to.

You in the.

Name of the Lord of hosts and creator of the stars.

We all have giants that we face in our life. And when you understand that the greatness of God affects our ability to handle the giants of life, it will encourage, inspire, and challenge all of us to our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.

Look past his height and appearance, Samuel, for man sees the.

Outward appearance.

They see.

The strength.

Of the man's arms, but the Lord looks into the heart.

Listen to Heroes and the Bible with Dr. Tony Evans on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

I'm Sheryl McClellum, host of the Cold Case podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer.

You show genuine interest and you can't fake it. But these guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be prepared. If you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call.

You out. Listen to Zone 7 with Cheryl McCleom on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello, I'm Bishop TD, Jake. I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms. He is going to lay you down in pastures and restore your soul, join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to sleep songs with Bishop TD, Jake, on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Pray. Com's meditative prayers podcast is the best way to bring God's perfect peace into your night. Each meditative prayer helps you focus on God, fight anxiety, sleep better, and more. As you.

Close your eyes, ask God to come and have fellowship with you. Open yourself to the Holy Spirit and ask him to minister to you.

Listen to meditative prayers on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Immersse yourself in the most extraordinary narrative in history with pray. Com's podcast, story to the Messiah with me, Rabbi Kurt Schneider. The lightning split the skies, revealing the agony of the Messiah's face. In that moment, people beheld the full weight of God's judgment, release onto his shoulders. Listen to story to the Messiah on iHeart Radio app, the Apple podcast app, or wherever you get your podcast.