In Acts 27, we read of Paul’s journey to Rome. As a prisoner, he was handed over to a Roman Centurion and boarded onto a ship that would sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia. The journey turned treacherous as the winds picked up and a storm approached. Paul knew what was ahead. He knew the impending danger, and he knew there would be loss to the ship and cargo.

Yet Paul knew who was in control. He stood before the men on the ship and said, “An angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul…. God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.” (Acts 27:23-24). This gave Paul great confidence in the midst of great danger at sea. Paul knew he had been called to Rome, and God confirmed that he would, indeed, get him to Rome. 

We wonder why God did not just spare the ship and spare Paul the struggle of being shipwrecked on the way to his promised calling, but God did not. The calling God has given to you and me will not always include sparing us from the difficulties that come with it. Even though Paul was in physical chains, he was spiritually free. He had not chained his heart to the things of this world, so when his ship ran aground and his life was in danger, it only reminded him of the “secret of being content in every and any situation” (Philippians 4:11-13). His life was not his own, and this world was not his home. He had not settled for what he could find in this life, rather, his eyes looked to an eternal home, a glorious kingdom. 

As we press on into the calling of God upon our lives, may the struggles of this world only serve to woo us closer to our Heavenly home, to draw us closer to our Heavenly Father. Let them catapult us out of complacency and cause us to be ever looking forward to where our hearts will truly be fulfilled.