Acts 27:21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 27:22 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. (KJV - sent from CadreBible)
Paul, a prisoner on his way to Rome to stand and be judged before Caesar warned Julius, the centurion in whose custody Paul was placed, that they should not venture any farther than they had already gone, for he perceived that if they did push on, there would be loss of cargo and life. Julius dismissed Paul's warning and accepted the direction of the ship's owner. Now, having continued their journey against Paul's advice, the ship and crew are struggling for their lives in the middle of a fierce storm.
This event is played out repeatedly in our lives today. Paul was not an expert, so far as I have read on sailing. He had not served on a sailing vessel, nor was he ever acquainted with the fishing apostles previous to Jesus' resurrection and their leaving that occupation for good. Paul was a man of God. Paul was a man who looked to God for guidance in the smallest of details. He was a man who who was extremely aware of the leading of the Holy Spirit. He knew little of sailing.
The owner of the ship, however was an expert on the sea. He was familiar with the weather patterns. He could read the sky, the sea, the clouds, and the wind as well as today's meteorologists (come to think of it, so can I). He could smell a storm weeks before it arrived, and he said, "Sail!" Sail they did, after all the expert must be right.
It is a dangerous thing to accept the councel of the world's experts and reject that of the man of God. Even, and probably especially when that expert is myself.
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