THE KING’ S BUSINESS
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Phil. 3:7, 8 ; Matt. 16:26). The terrific storm o f war and anguish that is now sweeping over the civilized earth is God’s call to His people to unload their super fluous cargo. vs. 20 - 22 . "And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared (shone upon us for many days), and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then (now) taken away. But after long abstinence (And when they had been long without food, then) Paul stood forth in the midst o f ' them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed (set sail) from Crete, and to have gained (and have gotten) this harm (injury) and loss. And now I exhort you t~o be of good cheer: (;) for there shall be no loss of any man’s ( omit, any man’s) life among you, but (add, only) of the ship.” It was very natural when neither sun' nor Stars shone upon them for many days and no small tempest lay upon them that all hope that they should be saved should be taken away, but still-it was entirely unnec essary. God is just as able to save in the darkness as He .is in the sunshine and in the tempest as He is in the calm. The believer in. Christ need never fear, even though there is not one ray o f light from sun or stars,, and no matter how heavy the tempest may appear to be (Isa. 26:3; Phil. 4:6, 7). There was at least one man on that ship whose hope was not gone, for God had said to him, “ Thou must bear -witness at Rome also” (ch. 23:11), and he knew that through storm or through sunshine God would somehow get him to Rome to give his testimony. Those were very manly words that Paul spoke in verse 21. They were not a mere taunt, “I told you so,” but simply a deft reference to the judi ciousness o f his former advice that he might gain the more respectful hearing for his present words. ..In the midst o f the uni versal despair, Paul trusting in God and His word summoned, his fear stricken •companions “ To be o f good cheer.” He assured them on the part o f God’s own word that in spite o f the apparent un-
ship’’ Gentle breezes and tempestuous winds alike await the faithful servant of God (vs. 13, 14), bur both come from the same hand, our Father’s hand. It is He who commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind (Ps. 107:25). He maketh winds His messengers (Ps. 104:4, R. V .). Both the balmy south wind and the fierce Eurocly- don furthered Paul on his course toward the Imperial City, where he was to give his testimony for his Master, and toward the New Jerusalem. The gentle breezes from the south ¿ire more pleasant, but not more wholesome and useful than the wild, howl ing northern gale. W e may all well thank God for that tempest, for to it we owe the precious lessons o f this chapter. If it should 1 ever be ours to face the terrors of a cyclone, let us pot forget from whom it comes and whose loving purposes it is carrying out. It was probably hard for Paul during that fourteen days’ storm to discern the wise and gentle hand o f God in it, but it was there all the same and we can see it now. It is interesting to note how, as the tempest overtook God’s faith ful servant Jonah (Jonah 1:4), so also the tempest overtook His faithful servant Paul. They were both sailing the same sea, but one toward the duty to which God appointed him ; the other from the duty to which God appointed him. Even God’s most faithful servants will not always find smooth sail ing. The child of God may always have peace within (Phil. 4:6, 7; Isa. 26:3; John 16:33), but he will not always have peace without. The fact that one is being fiercely tempest-tossed does not prove at all that God ,has ceased to look upon him with favor. Paul was never nearer to God than at this moment when he Was heing tossed pitilessly about by the raging Med iterranean, and very likely undergoing the throes ,of seasickness. Never was Paul more faithful.. Oftentimes the best thing for us to do when thus, tempest-tossed is ‘‘to -lighten the ship.” Many o f us are car rying too much cargo for such a stormy voyage as this world presents, and the tem pest is God’s call to unload (Heb. 12:1;
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