For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’. Acts 27:23-24 NLT

I had meant to write part two to this series sooner, but with our last two days filled with evacuating and setting up forty miles inland, things have been a bit busy. But as we await the arrival of hurricane Milton, I thought of the Apostle Paul who weathered a storm so long ago. Paul’s storm experience, unlike Jonah’s was not because of disobedience. He was there because of the decisions of others. Yet, in that storm, even as a prisoner chained below deck in a Roman ship, Paul continued to trust God. Meanwhile, topside, even the sailors were in desperation. They had battled through that tempest, without even being able to see either the sun or stars for two weeks. Yet when all hope seemed lost to everyone else, God sent an angel with a message for Paul, “Don’t be afraid Paul… God has granted you safety!”

To me one of the most amazing and wonderful thing about this message is that the deliverance that Paul was promised included even the very people who had put him in that storm! And even though it may feel frustrating being thrust into problems that you didn’t cause, God has a plan for good, and not only for you. Maybe that is you today. Your problem, your storm, and your dilemma has stuck you in a corner that you cannot get out of. But the good news is that we don’t need to figure a way out: God in HIs grace already has! Yet, in spite of the fact that God is going to do all the miraculous stuff that only He can do in our storm, He has given us something to do. “Don’t be afraid!”, or in the words of Jesus from John chapter fourteen, “Don’t let your heart be troubled!” God will do all the saving we need in any storm, but we must do the trusting. Jesus will calm the highest strongest winds and highest waves, but our part is to believe. Jesus has promised to be with us even to the end of the world. He will be by our side through this hurricane and by yours in whatever storm you are facing. Even if like Jonah, you brough this storm on yourself, God still has a way out and a way back to Him. Or if like Paul, others have made decisions about things that are out of your control, God has grace enough to help both you and them, if we will simply trust Him, encourage one another with His message and then do the small things that He asks for us to do.