They did not listen to Paul, the man of God.  At first Paul had just given them a warning.  They were on their way to Rome in a ship but they were past the time where it was safe to travel.

^“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. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on”  (Acts 27:9-10)

And things happened just as he said.  It became dangerous as the were hit by a violent storm.  They threw the cargo overboard.  And they tried every measure.  They were to the point they were certain they were all dead.

But then an angel came in the night and stood by Paul.

‘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.  Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” (Acts 27:24-26).

At one point they threw down 4 anchors to try to slow the ship’s movement.  Sailors then tried to sneak off the boat.  But Paul saw them and reported them to the centurion.  Because if they abandon the ship, there would be no skilled help to get them any further.

 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.  Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”  So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away (Acts 27:30-31).

By this point the centurion’s had begun to trust Paul.  It was their life on the line too.

Then Paul encouraged them to eat.  So they ate fully and then threw all the rest of the food overboard.  It was their last ditch effort and if it failed, they all would be dead.

But now it was time to run the ship onto ground somewhere.  In the morning they saw an island.  So they cut the anchors and made a run for it.  But they were smashed against a sandbar.  The stern was broken to pieces.

Because of Paul, the other prisoners were not killed.

 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.  But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.  The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely” (Acts 27:42-44).

The trip started with them ignoring Paul.  It ended with them listening to Paul and doing what he said.  Sometimes it takes awhile for others to see the hand of God on someone’s life.  It takes time and testing and proving it out.

Yes, it meant danger. But God had spoken.  And Paul had trusted.  Not blindly.  He warned the centurion that if the sailors escaped they would be dead.  But he trusted the Word of the Lord given to him and acted accordingly.

It takes time for people to see God’s hand on our lives.

It takes trust on our parts to believe what God has spoken to us.

And it takes a strong sense of mission in our lives to press through all that is hard.