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Acts 27:10 – Was Paul Superhuman?
Ever think Paul, post-conversion, is esteemed as a (almost) sinless, superhuman? That is, did Paul always show, without fail, he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him? Ahh Paul, so much stronger than Peter and those other failing and flailing apostles.
Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to give Paul a perfection pass. Even he showed doubt, or let fear cause him to forget God’s promise. Headed to Rome as a prisoner, a destructive storm is coming. Paul says, “Men, I can see that this voyage is headed toward disaster and heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our lives” (CSB’17 Acts 27:10). As someone who has had experience with shipwrecks (2 Corithians 11:25-26), he no doubt could read the signs. A storm does come, so what’s the problem?
Earlier, “the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome'” (Acts 23:9). Just as it was “impossible” for death to hold on to Jesus due to prophecy (Acts 2:24ff); it would be impossible for Paul to die at sea, even if everyone else did…because of Jesus’s promise. This is the same Jesus who knew it was not yet His time, and so He moved about freely despite the threats (John 7:30).
The purpose of this devotional is not to bring Paul down to our level, or feel better about our doubts and fears. The purpose is to challenge us not to forget that God is faithful in keeping His promises. If someone like Paul could forget, then we can too.
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