“And, hardly passing it [Salmone, Crete], came unto a place which is called The fair havens” (Acts 27:8).

Journeys might be considered as perilous excursions between places of security. They are more than commuter runs or vacations; they are momentous events motivated by unusual missions, frequently involving considerable preparation, and highly dependent upon circumstances. The mission in the episode was established by the Lord, “Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11).

In this situation, bureaucratic planning was not adequate. Centurion Julius was assigned to deliver Paul along with other prisoners to Rome (Acts 27:1). Because their triptick called for “catch as catch can,” they set sail with dispatch, not heeding the season. As they cruised along the southern coast of Crete, they found safe anchorage in “fair havens” near Lasea. Soft southerly breezes belied the Mediterranean fall and lured them on. Then it happened! Euroclydon struck with all her “nor’easter fury,” transforming the journey into a nightmare.

But Paul persisted in the fair havens of God’s faithfulness. “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. . . . And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve” (Acts 27:10,22,23). Paul’s safe anchorage was in the Lord; Julius’s trust was in the system.

No matter how great the storm or how frail the ship, the one whose trust is in “the captain of their salvation” can firmly “lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast” (Hebrews 2:10; 6:18,19). KBC