Yes, God is still in control when life’s storms hit, even when it doesn’t feel like it. In Acts 27:1-28:31, Paul sails for Rome as a prisoner and is caught in a storm so violent that everyone on board loses hope. God brings all 276 people safely to shore, uses the crisis to raise Paul up as a leader, and finally brings him to Rome, where he keeps preaching boldly. Storms can come in the center of God’s will, but they never overrule it.
Setting the Scene in Acts 27:1-28:31
In the last lesson (Acts 25:1-26:32), Paul appealed to Caesar, so now he must go to Rome. Jesus had already promised he would testify there (Acts 23:11). These final chapters complete the outline Jesus gave at the very beginning of the book: his followers would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8; see Acts 1:6-11). Peter led the way in the first half of Acts and Paul in the second, but the real main character has always been the Holy Spirit.
Luke is back in the story, writing as “we.” His account of the voyage is so detailed that a nineteenth-century Scottish sailor named James Smith of Jordanhill retraced the route and concluded that the winds, harbors, and depths matched the real Mediterranean remarkably well. This is the record of someone who was there.
Storms Can Come in the Center of God’s Will
Paul was handed over to a centurion named Julius, who treated him kindly. At Myra, they boarded an Alexandrian grain ship bound for Italy. Egypt supplied much of Rome’s grain, so ships like this were a lifeline for the empire. But they made slow progress, and by the time they reached Fair Havens on Crete, it was late in the season.
Acts 27:9-11 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.
“The Day of Atonement” refers to the Jewish fast in late September or October. Sailing the open Mediterranean became dangerous after mid-September and nearly stopped in winter. The pilot and owner wanted a better harbor, and the majority agreed. Soon a hurricane-force wind called the “Northeaster” swept down on them. For days, they couldn’t see the sun or the stars, and Luke admits that they finally gave up all hope of being saved (Acts 27:20).
Paul was exactly where God wanted him, and he was still in a storm. Following Jesus doesn’t mean smooth sailing. Paul had already been shipwrecked three times before this (2 Corinthians 11:25), and he would be the first to tell you that obedience and hardship often travel together. For more on that, see Does God Give Us More Than We Can Handle?
Storms Can Raise You to a Place of Influence
After many days without food, Paul stood up among the crew.
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 to whom I belong 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.
From here, something remarkable happens: the prisoner becomes the captain. When sailors tried to escape in the lifeboat, Paul warned the centurion, and the soldiers cut it loose. Then, just before dawn, Paul urged everyone to eat.
Acts 27:33-35 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.
Paul gave thanks to God in front of a ship full of pagan sailors and soldiers, and they took courage. When the ship ran aground and broke apart, the soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none would escape. Julius stopped them because he wanted to save Paul. Everyone made it to land, just as God had promised.
This is a pattern throughout Scripture. Joseph rose to power through slavery and prison, and later said that what others meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20). Daniel gained influence in Babylon as an exile. Paul learned that when he was weak, he was strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Storms often move God’s people into places of influence they would never have reached in calm weather.
Kindness and Healing on Malta
The survivors washed up on Malta, an island south of Sicily, where the islanders built a fire for them in the cold rain.
Acts 28:3-6 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
The islanders swung from one wrong conclusion to another, first assuming Paul was a murderer getting what he deserved, then deciding he was a god. Paul was neither. He was a servant of the living God, who was still protecting him. Paul then healed the father of Publius, the island’s chief official, and many others came to be healed. A shipwreck turned into a three-month ministry opportunity.
Storms Test the Quality of Your Faith
In spring, they sailed on another Alexandrian ship, landed at Puteoli, and traveled the road toward Rome. Believers came out as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet him, and Paul thanked God and took courage. In Rome he lived under guard and met with the Jewish leaders, persuading some while others rejected the message, and he quoted Isaiah’s words about people who hear but don’t understand (Isaiah 6:9-10). Then Luke closes the book.
Acts 28:30-31 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
After everything, Paul just kept sharing. No complaining, no bitterness, only faithful obedience. The last word in Luke’s Greek text, akōlytōs, means “unhindered.” Paul was in chains, but the gospel was not.
Acts ends without telling us the outcome of Paul’s trial, which suggests Luke may have finished writing while Paul was still waiting. During this house arrest, Paul likely wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (see the chronological order of the New Testament). Many scholars believe he was released and traveled again, perhaps even to Spain as he had hoped (Romans 15:24). The early church historian Eusebius records the tradition that Paul was later arrested again and beheaded in Rome under Nero. Paul faced that possibility with remarkable peace.
Philippians 1:20-21 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
That is what tested faith looks like. Paul trusted that God was sovereign, whether he lived or died.
What This Means for Us
You may be in a storm right now: a diagnosis, a broken relationship, a financial crisis, or a season where you can’t see the sun or the stars. That doesn’t mean you missed God’s will. Storms come even to faithful people. But God is still on the throne, and he keeps his promises.
Your storm may also be your platform. People notice how a follower of Jesus responds when everything falls apart. And every storm is a test. Will you keep trusting God’s sovereignty, or did you think you were in charge all along? The book of Acts ends with the gospel moving forward unhindered, and the story is still being written through ordinary believers like you (Acts 1:1-5).
The Takeaway
Is God still in control when life’s storms hit? Yes. In Acts 27:1-28:31, Paul faced a hurricane, a shipwreck, and a snakebite, yet God brought him safely to Rome. Storms can come in the center of God’s will, they can raise you to a place of influence, and they test your faith. Through it all, God remains sovereign and his gospel goes forward unhindered.
