The trip from Caesarea to Crete was fairly uneventful. Paul was a prisoner but treated with a good deal of liberty. He was even allowed to visit his friends in Sidon. The winds were against them so they passed on the east side of Crete and up toward Cilicia and Pamphylia. The more direct route would have been to sail south of Crete and around the west end but the winds were out of the west.

Surely Paul was not surprised that the winds were against him. Paul had many things in his favor, a good family, Roman citizenship, a brilliant mind, and a sensitive spirit. Nonetheless, Paul’s life was always a struggle against the prevailing winds. Before his conversion it was due to his fastidious conscience and a zealous love of God. We must remember that Paul did not become difficult after the conversion. It was really part of his makeup all along. After his conversion, his own people made it difficult for him. The primitive conditions of travel added a heavy burden. His friends often disappointed him and the officials of Rome condemned him with faint praise. The winds were against him.

To some degree, this is true of everyone. There are spells of fine weather and fair days. But they eventually turn to foul weather with the winds against us. We all have to accept the health we are given. We all have to work within the economic security we have. We are forced to live in conflict from time to time. Paul provides a great example for us. He does not groan about his infirmities. He accepted his "thorn in the flesh" because it saved him from being a prima donna. The most important thing is not what happens to us, but how we meet what happens to us. Being in prison was not as important as how he handled being in prison. Being shipwrecked was not as important as how he handled himself in the danger. Likewise, our infirmities are not as important as how we handle them. Other creatures go where the winds blow them. But man, when the winds are against him, can still determine the direction of his course and the destiny of his journey.

Paul was not reckless and did not seek the challenge of the winds. He was an experienced traveler and knew the danger of storms and contrary winds in the late fall. Late fall is the time of the most violent storms and Paul advised them to avoid the risk. The captain and the owner decided to risk the trip in an effort to reach a more suitable harbor in which to winter. Sometimes we think it is part of Paul’s nature to brashly insist on defying the seasonal storms. We must remember that being a zealous defender of the faith is not the same as throwing your life away on unnecessary risks. Paul takes care of himself without being anxious about it. He does not throw it all into God’s hands and trust to the outcome. He works to make the most out of his efforts and his life. Paul advised staying in their port and avoiding the adverse winds. When the decision went against his advice, he then worked to make the new situation as safe as possible.

The south wind blew gently and they took that as a sign that all was well and they would be able to reach the desired port on the west end of Crete. Shortly they ran into the wind Paul expected to encounter. A northwesterly wind kept them from sailing around the island. They wound up on the downwind side of Clauda. Even there, the danger was not over. They started by undergirding the ship. There are several ways to undergird a ship. One way is to pass rope or chains under the ship to keep the timbers from being torn apart by the waves. Another technique is to stretch rope or chain in the hold under the deck to keep the ribs from pulling away. A third technique involved running rope or chain from stem to stern to keep the ship from breaking its back amidships.

By the next day, the seas were so heavy and the winds so violent, they started throwing the cargo overboard. By the third day, they started throwing the tackle and gear overboard. When no sun or stars had appeared in many days, all hope for navigation vanished. We do not know if there was a food shortage or if they were simply too sea-sick to eat but they were apparently not doing so. After a long abstinence, Paul yielded to human nature and said, "I told you so." After that one comment, he started showing the spirit and courage that continually got him into and out of trouble so many times in his life.

Paul bid them to take heart for although the ship would be damaged, there would be no loss of life. A positive message is vital when courage and hope are the best tools to avoid disaster. Ask any oncologist and they will tell you a good attitude is your best weapon against the ravages of cancer. When things are hopeless, you have two paths to follow. You can give up in despair or you can fight with the assurance that everything will come out all right in the end. Some people call that "whistling in the dark." But, psychologists recognize that people can change their feelings by changing their actions.

Paul assures them his confidence was the result of a vision in the night. No description of the vision or the angel is given – only the vital message. Paul was saying that his life was guided by wisdom far greater than his own. The vision told him to have confidence that he would stand before Caesar. Paul believed there was a purpose to be accomplished in his life and God would insure it was achieved. Skeptics ask, "Why would the destiny of a single individual control the winds and waves?" We only know that Paul got to Rome and the ship was not lost. If Paul had been going to Rome on vacation, it would have been different.

When the fourteenth night came and they were still being driven up and down in the Sea of Adria, they came near land. They cast out anchors and hold their position until daybreak. The anchors were cast out from the stern. This allowed them to keep the bow facing the land and prevent the ship from swinging around into the wind.

Paul’s difficulties were still not over. The sailors were planning to desert the ship and accept whatever land they had reached. Paul again exhorted them to stay the course. He told them they could not be saved if they left the ship. Again Paul took the lead in the crisis but this time with unhappy consequences. The sailors had already let down the boat in which they planned to escape. When he talked them out of leaving the ship, they cut the rope to the boat and let if float away. This left them no choice but to beach the ship which would inevitably involve a shipwreck

Then he took a very practical approach. He encouraged them to eat. After fourteen days of sea-sickness and worry, even a meal of meager rations would cheer them up. The phrase, "took bread and gave thanks to God" suggests a Eucharist. It is more likely that it was just a simple meal. The thanksgiving is an ordinary act of piety before partaking of food.

When daybreak came, they still did not recognize the land. But they discovered a bay into which they might be able to thrust the ship. In preparation, they again worked to lighten the ship. They knew they would literally have to run the ship aground and a lighter ship would mean less damage. They took up the anchors and committed themselves to steering into the bay. The rudders on ancient vessels were large steering oars, usually one on each side. These would be lashed on deck while the ship was at anchor. The rudders were released and a small foresail was raised to allow the wind to assist their forward movement.

When they attempted to take the ship to the shore, they ran aground. As the ship was breaking up, the soldiers’ wanted to kill the prisoners rather than allow them to escape. The centurion again intervened on Paul’s behalf and allowed the prisoners to find their own way to the shore. Both the prisoners and the crew all either swam ashore or floated in on pieces of the ship. It is believed that they landed in a bay that today is called "St. Paul’s Bay" on the island of Malta. It is on the north coast of the island near the northwest point.

Through all this adventure, the character of Paul was the determining factor. He was the one who knew what to do when the winds were against him. When he could not avoid the situation, he rose above it and mastered it. It is a testimony to the human spirit at its best. We are not the masters of our fate or the captains of our souls, but we have such strange and wonder affinity with the God who made us that we can exert our wills and stretch our spirits. In the perspective of future observers, it would seem our wills and spirits can actually change the course of events. But then Jesus told us we could through prayer.