A WORD ON COURAGE

J. M. Macfarlane

Acts 27: 7–25, 33–38; 28: 11–15

We have often reminded ourselves that the purpose of the meeting for ministry is for edification, encouragement and consolation, according to what Paul wrote at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 14. We had a word recently, when gathered for this meeting, which referred to a number of passages of scripture which speak about encouragement and it is one of the functions of the meeting for ministry, that we should be encouraged.

We have read references in Acts 27 to taking courage in circumstances of extreme adversity. The great value of this chapter is that it is an allegory of the way in which the public history of the church would unfold. Its failure is foreseen in this chapter and we can take courage from the knowledge that the disgraceful events of church history have not, speaking reverently, taken God by surprise. I should like, however, to refer to the detail of some of the incidents in this journey, to see the grave extremity of their circumstances and to note two aspects of encouragement in them. One of these is that there is exhortation to take courage and the other, perhaps more remarkably, that there is reference to courage being taken without apparent need for exhortation.

We are aware of some of the burdens which lie on one and another and, while we remember these in the meeting for prayer, we also supplicate for those who carry burdens which are not generally known but are carried privately. We are taken, in the ways of God, through circumstances of difficulty and the pressures may be severe and they may be prolonged. This chapter shows that adversity may be extreme and it may be prolonged, but, nevertheless, it is still possible to find courage.

The first reference is in verse 22, “And now I exhort you to be of good courage, for there shall be no loss at all of life of any of you, only of the ship”. It is worth remembering that this journey had gone some considerable distance when Paul said this and the immediate circumstances are described in verse 18, “But the storm being extremely violent on us”. After a long period of difficulty and in present circumstances of the gravest extremity, there is someone in the ship who can say, “I exhort you to be of good courage” and give reason for speaking in this way. He said, “For an angel of the God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood by me this night”. Strength is one of the characteristics of an angel and, in the midst of this experience of extended adversity, Paul had the fortifying experience of an angel standing by him and saying, “Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted to thee all those that sail with thee”. He then goes on to say, “Wherefore be of good courage, men”. There was a large company of two hundred and seventy-six in this ship, who must have been at their wits’ end. A strongly hostile reaction might have been expected, when, in such circumstances, a large crowd was exhorted to be of good courage. Paul spoke with effective power and authority, however, because he had had a communication from the God whose he was and whom he served and one of His messengers had stood by him that night. After his second exhortation to be of good courage, he says, “for I believe God that thus it shall be, as it has been said to me”. Here is a man who professes faith in God and gives practical and powerful demonstration of the confidence which it brings. I think there is value in reflecting on these things which qualified Paul to find courage himself and to convey it effectively to others—he believed God, he belonged to God and he served God.

Circumstances do not become any easier. We did not read all the detail but, in verse 33, Paul exhorts them to take food. They were aware, at this time, that land was approaching and they had “passed the fourteenth day watching in expectation without taking food”. This is another dimension of extremity that was afflicting the people on the ship. They must have been very weak after fourteen days without food, so Paul exhorted them “to partake of food, for this has to do with your safety; for not a hair from the head of any one of you shall perish”. He took a loaf and “gave thanks to God before all, and having broken it began to eat. And all taking courage, themselves also took food”. Now this time, it appears that there was no need for Paul to exhort them to take courage. They were willing to follow the direction of one who believed God, belonged to Him and served Him and they found themselves taking courage in the final stage of this desperate time. There is perhaps a further word for us here as to the way in which we can be restored and sustained in difficult times, where prolonged periods of difficulty may tend to weaken us.

The children of Israel went through the wilderness where there was nothing to sustain life, but God provided the manna as daily food. We are sustained in ordinary circumstances by resorting habitually to the grace of Jesus in His perfect manhood. The food which was taken in the last stage of the shipwreck derived from the wheat which the ship was carrying. Christ is available to sustain life and give courage, according to the needs of times of severe and prolonged difficulty. These were not starvation rations; more was available than could be eaten.

We read the section in chapter 28, where the brethren from Rome came to meet Paul and when he saw them, “he thanked God and took courage”. We might have thought that, having survived the dreadful voyage of chapter 27 by miraculous divine intervention, Paul might have walked with a confident step. Circumstances change, however. The threats of the stormy voyage have passed but there are new circumstances and new pressures. The angel had told him that he would stand before Caesar and he now carried the anticipation of this. This was different from surviving a shipwreck and, in this new pressure, he finds another source of encouragement. The brethren in Rome had heard that Paul and his companions were coming and had travelled more than forty miles out of the city to meet him. Such an expression of sincere affection was used on this occasion to give him fresh courage and he thanked God for it. As we gather for the meeting for prayer, we are conscious of having come from a difficult and threatening world, a world of pressures for many of us. We look round on the circle of the brethren who have gathered to express their confidence in God and to give Him thanks and we find a sense of receiving courage. May we be encouraged in these ways, each, for His name’s sake.

Word in meeting for ministry, Dundee
18 January 2011