HELEN SANDERS
9-27-2024
THE HAZARDS OF QUICKSAND
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In Acts 27 the apostle Paul was a prisoner on a ship heading towards Rome. They set off at a time of year that was known for unfavorable sailing conditions. In spite of this, the captain of the ship took his “passengers” and sailed anyway. A tempestuous wind called Euroclydon came up and the ship was caught in it. It must have been like being in a hurricane. The ship got caught up in that fierce storm and they couldn’t control it. They were about to be caught in quicksand (27:17) and that would be the end of the ship and the passengers. They had to make a quick decision.
Quicksand is not a place that anyone wants to get stuck in. It “quickly” sucks in its “prey” and there is no getting out. Knowing this, they struck sail and let the ship go with the wind to avoid being destroyed in the quicksand. They threw much of the cargo overboard to lighten the load so the ship could sail without sinking. As the story goes, Paul prayed, and God revealed His plan to him. Paul, in turn, told the centurion in charge to cut the ropes and let the ship go “with the wind” or the ship would be destroyed, and they would all die.
Imagine, a prisoner telling the captain what to do, but nothing else had worked. So, they listened to Paul and when the ship was in shallow water the back part of the ship broke off. They wanted to kill all of the prisoners, so they couldn’t escape, but the centurion wanted to save Paul, since his godly advice had saved the entire ship. Paul and the rest of the prisoners were allowed to swim ashore and were all saved.
Sometimes God allows storms in our lives, and we are close to being sucked into the “quicksand” of circumstances. We may not realize that hanging on to things may “take us under.” We must get alone with God at this point and see if there is anything that we need to “throw overboard” to lighten our load. Perhaps it is a bad attitude or bad habit, or a sin we know we need to repent of. Regardless, God allows storms to take us safely to our destination. Just like Paul and the ship, if they had stayed where they were at, they would have been swallowed up in the quicksand, we too must steer clear of those things that will bring us to destruction.
Talking with God in prayer is the best way to know what to do in these rough situations. He is waiting on us to come to him in repentance, and then He will help us through the storms. Don’t hang on to things that will suck you into quicksand. Get rid of them before it is too late.
By the way, when Paul and the rest of the prisoners and crew were safe on an island full of barbarians, God used him in a mighty way there. It was not the plan of the ship’s captain for that to happen, but it was God’s plan. When we go with God’s plan we can never fail! He will guide us around the hazards of quicksand.
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