For there stood by me this day the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve. Acts 27:23
The apostle Paul had an advantage over everyone else on that ship in that he had the assurance that he would not perish in a shipwreck. He had already been told by the Lord that he would testify in Rome. As the storm raged and tossed the ship, Paul could take courage from that promise. But even so, he was in a perilous situation that others in the ship deemed to be hopeless. The raging sea and the powerful winds took away from everyone the ability to do anything about their situation. Into this situation came a voice of hope, not only for Paul but also for everyone on the ship. God’s messenger arrived with a word from Heaven, and the terror of the storm was over, as far as Paul was concerned. A word from the Lord is always available for us, too, regardless of our circumstances.
The first point that Paul makes is that the angel stood by him. The angel did not hover overhead or make a proclamation from afar off, but stood by him. This is exactly what we desire of anybody who will come and help us. Standing by means that the angel was beside him to support and strengthen. Although we may not experience the presence of angels as Paul did, we can always be assured that our Lord always stands by us. He identifies with our situation and He encourages us with His presence. Because He stands by us, He knows exactly what is going on with us, and He is there to share. What a comfort that is!
When Paul uttered the words ‘whose I am’, he was declaring that he was the possession of God, an object of God’s affection and value. It is so easy to lose sight of this fact as we see ourselves as capable of supplying our own needs and preserving our own safety. This false sense of security prevents us from appreciating that we belong to God and are the objects of His love and care. The reality that we belong to Him means that He will never allow anything to happen to us that violates His own interest in us. In a storm, that is of great comfort.
It would be difficult for us to find anyone, in the Scriptures or in history, who served the Lord as deeply as did the apostle Paul. When he uttered the words ‘whom I serve’, he was speaking truly. For Paul, circumstances did not matter nearly as much as knowing that he was serving his Lord. He served, and left the outcome with God. Even without the earlier assurance that he was to arrive safely in Rome, Paul was content to endure the storm, knowing that he was in the storm as a result of serving his Lord. This is a good lesson for us. If we are serving the Lord as we should, the circumstances that our service brings us into should simply not matter.
The Word of God is the messenger for us today, reminding us that God Himself stands by us, preserving His own property, and directing His servants. – Jim MacIntosh