Acts 27:22-25 “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you. So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”

Note that this was a very specific promise for a very specific situation. God sent an angel to give Paul a revelation about this unique situation. It was not a promise that no one would ever die in a shipwreck. We can’t take the angel’s words, just as they are, and apply them to ourselves.

Note, too, that it wasn’t a promise that the storm would stop immediately. God’s promise offered a source of calm within the storm, while it was still raging. It didn’t mean the storm stopped blowing and beating on the ship altogether. The ship would still be lost. The cargo would still be gone. But the lives of 276 people on board were going to be spared.

Don’t underestimate the power and grace of this promise for the people who had given up hope and were convinced they could not be saved. I don’t know whether or not the other people on the boat believed Paul. But Paul certainly believed the promise. He may have a rough ride to go, but he knew that he was going to live, and so were the others with him. This was a bright light in a dark place, practically receiving their lives back from the dead. This was hope where all hope was gone, and it was entirely the gift of God, an expression of his grace for people who could do nothing to save themselves.

So, while this promise may not be ours directly, it reminds us that we do have promises for us to seize and hold onto in the middle of our storms: “If you make the Most High your dwelling– even the Lord, who is my refuge– then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:9-12).

Even if it appears that the current crisis will take our lives, he promises, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). And “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).

And when our consciences are getting the best of us, overwhelming us with storms of guilt, we seize God’s promise, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve, or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10-12). We know that these promises are all true in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

These, then, are our calm in the storms of life and faith, our hope when all hope is gone. Seize them, never let them go, and you will always be safe from the storm.