NO life is without trouble.

Even the apostle Paul had plenty of it. In Acts 27:4, Paul finds himself in a ship when a storm arises. This storm was the result of a seasonal and well-known wind called Euroclydon.

All of us have our Euroclydons. Though presently we may find a South breeze blowing softly, as Paul did just before his storm broke, we can be sure that there will eventually come a tempestuous wind. It may be financial trouble, sickness, or family trouble that shatters our world. Our cherished dreams may turn to nightmares.

Paul’s experience in Euroclydon gives us some biblical counsel about what we should do when trouble comes. Here are five things for us to remember.

FIRST, SPEND MORE TIME IN PRAYER. Paul did this in Acts 27. He told his companions that he had been in touch with God, and that they should be of good cheer.

So, if we want to be strengthened for the time of trouble, if we want our perplexing problems solved, and if we want to see a sick body healed or a sinful soul saved, let us spend more time in prayer. The hymn writer expresses the value of coming to God in prayer, “Sometimes when my faith would falter and no sunlight I can see, I just lift mine eyes to Jesus and I whisper, ’Pilot me.’ ‘Fear thou not for I’ll be with thee. I will still thy pilot be. Never mind the tossing billows. Take my hand and trust in me.’”

SECOND, COUNT ON GOD’S PRESENCE. Paul knew God was with him in the storm. He said to his shipmates, “For there stood by me this night the angel of God.” Acts 27:23 Time and time again in the Bible, God promises to be with His children. “My presence shall go with Thee.” Exodus 33:14 “I will fear no evil; for thou art with me.” Psalm 23:4 “I will never leave thee.” Hebrews 13:5

A believer in Christ had a terminal illness. He told his Christian doctor that he felt very alone, and that he feared dying. The doctor pulled up a chair and told the patient to imagine that Jesus was sitting there. As the days went by, the dying man gripped the arm of the chair more and more. The nurses found him there. He had gone to heaven, but in death, he gripped the arm of the chair. The doctor said that in the patient’s mind, he was holding to the nail-scarred hand of Jesus. Jesus was there. We can count on His presence.

THIRD, BELIEVE THE PROMISES OF GOD. During Paul’s Euroclydon he said, “I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” Acts 27:25

God has made many promises to those who know Him. He has promised to never leave us; to come back for us; to hear and answer our prayers; and to supply our needs.

God is not a man that He should lie. He will keep His promises.

Adoniram Judson made a famous, often quoted statement—“ The future is as bright as the promises of God.” Those words have encouraged many. But, what was the occasion of Judson’s words? Was everything “coming up roses,” for Judson? NO. Judson was in a filthy Burmese jail. He had been put on the rack and beaten.

Now on a straw bed, he was taunted, “What do you think now of your plans to win people in Burma to Christ?” It was then that Judson made his famous statement about the future being as bright as God’s promises.

FOURTH, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. That is what Paul did in that awful storm. He “gave thanks in the presence of them all.” Acts 27:35 There is always something for which we can be thankful.

About a year ago, a family home was destroyed in the California forest fires. The owner was interviewed on T.V.

“Your home and all your possessions have gone up in flames.”

“No,” he said, “not everything. I still have my wife. I still have my little boys. I still have faith in God. I still have a God Who watches over us. And I still have a home in heaven. I’ve lost very little, really.”

FIFTH, GET RID OF EXCESS BAGGAGE. It says of Paul’s companions, “They lightened the ship.” Acts 27:38

It is a good time not only to lay aside sins, but also to lay aside the weights of worry, fear, and dread. These things easily beset us.

Sometimes we treat God like we treat our spare tire. A spare tire is forgotten for months when no trouble is seen. However, when we have a flat, then we want the spare to be in good condition, ready for use. Trouble should bring us back to God. It should cause us to pray more, to depend more upon Him, and to examine our own lives.