Page 4 - A27
P. 4

Mar 4:39  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,
        Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.



        Perhaps Satan was trying to kill the disciples.  I don’t think the wind here was from
        the Lord – because if Jesus rebuked the wind, that would have put Him and his father
        at cross purposes.  Impossible.  The next chapter details a legion of demons Christ
        cast out of the wild Gadarean - perhaps Satan was trying to prevent that confrontation.



        Paul calls Satan the prince of the power of the air in Ephesians 2:2, meaning he has a
        dominion in which he operates.   Remember in Daniel where one of Satan’s minions
        is called the prince of the Kingdom of Persia?


                                                           Dan 10:20   Then said he, Knowest thou where-
                                                           fore I come unto thee? and now will I return to
                                                           fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am
                                                           gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.


        Back in Acts: It seems logical to conclude that Satan is working hard to sink this ship.
        Luke  records  the  tempestuous  wind,  called  Euroclydon.   That’s  the  natural  wind
        cycle, but the enemy is stirring it up.


                               Why are prayers not instantly answered?


        The Angel Arrives Two Weeks Before Deliverance

        Instead of a dream or a vision, Paul get’s a personal messenger – an angel of the Lord,

        for reassurance.  Why the sense of importance?  Paul’s the only one who saw the angel
        – so it’s not like it was necessary for the faith and belief of the others.  Even after the
        angel appeared with good news – the ship continued to be tossed about.  God had
        heard the prayers of Paul and had answered them positively.  But, the ship still rolled

        and was fraught with danger.


        At what point do we consider that Paul’s prayers for safe voyage were answered?



        Paul must appear before Caesar.  And the safety of every man is guaranteed by the
        Lord.


        Sudden Calm?

        We would expect after the angel’s visit that the seas would calm, the sun would shine
        and soft steady winds would carry these men to Italy on downy pillows of ease.  Yet
        for a total of 14 days, many under tormenting rains, strong winds and roaring seas, the
        ship continued to be cast about.
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9