In this daily Bible reading is the account of Paul being put on a ship to be transported to Rome. Paul was joined by other prisoners and was under the guard of a Roman Centurian named Julius. They sailed initially to Lycia where they were transferred to an Alexandrian ship for the remainder of their journey.
Before boarding the Alexandrian ship, Paul warned the Centurian and the ship captain that the voyage would be dangerous. Paul told them that they would suffer much loss. Paul specifically said they would lose the ship and even their lives. In spite of Paul’s warning, the ship set sail.
The ship encountered a violent storm which lasted several days. It appeared that Paul’s warning would come true. Later we see that God intervened. The ship was lost, but the crew and passengers were saved.
I believe that the storm was caused by Satan. Satan has great powers. The Bible says that Satan is the spiritual ruler of the Earth. I believe that Satan was trying to prevent Paul from reaching Rome where Paul would teach the people about Jesus Christ. This was part of Satan’s attempt to turn people away from God.
This glimpse of the spiritual world and Satan’s powers should be a warning to us. The Bible says that we are in a spiritual battle. Knowing this helps us to prepare and defend ourselves.
The Bible says that we must be armed with the Word of God to survive this spiritual battle. Without the Bible we have no hope of defending ourselves. However, if we are well grounded in the Bible, we will be able to survive and stand against evil.
