Calm in the Storm

Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. None of you will lose a single hair from your 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. They were all encouraged (in good heart) and ate as much as they wanted. -Acts 27:34-36 (NIV)

If you have been reading through the book of Acts over the past few weeks, you know that Paul has been on trial and has appealed his case to Caesar and is on his way to Rome via ship. Unfortunately, it is not the ideal time for sea travel. Paul advises the officers on the ship to wait until winter has passed before continuing their journey; the senior officer of the ship rejects Paul's advice and they continue. Unfortunately, a wind of hurricane force endangers the ship and an angel reveals to Paul that the ship will be destroyed. For 14 days, the ship is tossed all over the sea by this devastating storm.

In the midst of this storm, Paul urges the ship's passengers and crew to eat. Using language similar to the way the Last Supper is recorded in scripture, Luke says that Paul took some bread, gave thanks to God for it, broke it, and gave it to the passengers and crew. We're told that they all ate it and that, despite the severity of the storm, they were all encouraged (in good heart).

Holy Communion (some call it the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper) has often had that same kind of affect on me. The storms of life can be raging. I can feel myself being tossed to and fro by things that are bigger than me and outside of my control. And yet when I come to the table of our Lord, I am reminded of God's great love for me, that God has a history of working redemptively in seemingly hopeless situations, and that God has calmed more storms than I've ever experienced. I am encouraged by those things. I experience, even if for a fleeting moment, a calm in the midst of my storm.

May God grant you the grace, in the breaking of bread today, to find encouragement and calm in whatever way you need it most.


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If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Job 19, and Mark 1-2. Sunday's readings are Job 20 and Mark 3-4. I'll be back on Monday with a devotional from Job 21 and/or Mark 5-6.