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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.