| Acts 27:37-44 ...When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety. In 2 Corinthians 1:20, Paul said that "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ." God is a truly faithful God and He always means what He says. When the Lord promised Paul that he will testify in Rome the same way he testified for God in Jerusalem. Paul obviously didn't know that his life would be in danger due to the storm he encountered along the way. If you and I were in such circumstance, we might develop doubt in our hearts, but God never makes mistake. One time Jesus brought the disciples to cross the Seas of Galilee with Him. He said to the disciples: "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." Half way across the lake, there was great turmoil on the Seas of Galilee, and the disciples almost died; however, Jesus was sound asleep inside the ship cabin. Each time I think of this story, I thought it was intriguing the that someone would be able to fall asleep during a storm. The Lord, however, said that "let's go over to the other side of the lake," which means that they will definitely reach the other side of the lake. Our Lord is the master who rules all things in the universe; He knew exactly what do to, so he could be sound asleep in the midst of the storm. In this scripture passage, even though they went through a storm, but, just like verse 44 says, everyone reached land in safety. We need to sincerely trust God and hold on to the promises He gave us, and we must believe that the zeal of the Lord will accomplish all His promises. Things might not be accomplished in our ways, with by God's mighty power. May the Spirit of the Lord help us, make us understand that by the grace of God Paul could safely reach shore because he truly believed in the word of God. The same faith also gave him the momentum to keep on going and to experience God's mightiness and faithfulness in our daily life. May the Lord give us the same faith to believe Him!
Pray with Pastor Tong Liu 
Lord, I thank you because you are a faithful God and you always mean what you say. Help us to trust in your word in our daily life, and let us put ourselves in your hands so that you may use us. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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