"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.
Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me."
Paul is being taken to Rome and as they enter one ship he warns them of coming danger doing so. His warning is ignored and then a violent storm comes up and they suffer for many days fearing they will die. That is when the angel appears to Paul and comforts him, in turn he is able to comfort the others with this message. From past experience with Paul words being correct, the people in charge finally listen to Paul and do as he advises. They are finally shipwrecked on an island, with no loss of life.
So as I am reading this today I pondered on why it was necessary for an angel to come to Paul. Why not a prompting, or a revelation? I could come up with no good explanation. I realized, who am I to counsel the Lord in how he delivers his message. I don't know Paul's and the other passengers, level of fear over that perilous voyage they were on. What level of witness and comfort did they need at that time. How strong of a witness did those in charge of the ship need in order to follow Paul's counsel and save their lives. The important thing is not to look for a message or witness a particular way but to be worthy of receiving God message in whatever manner he needs to use.
Day 34: Tami Fitzgerald Harris
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