But Acts chapter 27 this morning. I have a lengthy passage here, so I'm going to try to break it up. I know it's a longer story, so we'll read a portion of it before we pray, and then as we get to each point, we'll read more of it. But I think a well-known story, I think in the book of Acts, in the life of Paul here this morning, But we're going to start in verse number nine and our whole passage that we'll have goes all the way to verse 44. But we're going to break that up a bit. But I want to read verses, I'm going to start in verse number one as we start here and read from verse one down to verse 12 in our introduction. But I want to look at this story in Acts 27 about, as you see, and if you're familiar with the book of Acts and with chapter 27 of the life of Paul, or if you have a Bible with headings there at the beginning of a chapter or through sections, you'll know that this story in Acts 27 is about a voyage in a shipwreck at sea. I want to take this story and do my best with the leading of the Holy Spirit to apply it to our lives. We're going to look at this this morning. Life is much like a voyage across an ocean. Life, much like a voyage across an ocean, is rarely a smooth, calm passage. There are days of clear skies and gentle breezes when our sails are full and our course seems set. But then inevitably there are days when the winds howl, the waves surge, and the very foundations beneath us seem to tremble. In these moments of profound turbulence, when our plans are shipwrecked and our hopes are dashed, where do we find solace? And where do we find strength? And how do we reconcile the chaos with our understanding of a loving God. Acts 27, we begin reading in verse number one before we pray here. It says, and when it was determined we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band, and entering into a ship of Adramidium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coast of Asia. One Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us. And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself. And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the Sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. And there the centurion found a ship of Alexander sailing into Italy, and he put us there. days, and scarce were come over against Sinaitis, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete over against Salmon. And hardly passing it came unto a place which is called the Fair Havens, nigh whereunto was the city of Alesia. Now, when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, and said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which are spoken by Paul. And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to and there to winter, which is in haven of Crete, and lieth toward the southwest and northwest. Let's pray. Dear Lord, we thank you for this day. Thank you for this time and your word that we've already had. We're looking, as we have studied in the Sunday school hour, and we thank you for that time and how you met with us. Thank you for each one of these folks who are out this morning. Thank you for this time to look at your word once again this morning, and I pray. at this time, that You'd just fill me with Your Spirit and Your power, that You'd speak through me and use me, O Lord, and that we'd have open hearts and open ears to hear Your Word, to receive it, and that Your Spirit would do what I cannot, that You'd speak to hearts and do a work this morning. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. So today, as I said, I want to turn to a story here of this voyage on the sea and what we know eventually will be a shipwreck in the story of the life of Paul. But we turn to a story that speaks to our own experiences of navigating the storms of life. It is a vivid account of desperation and divine intervention. And it reveals a profound truth about our God. And that he is often, and this is the title of my message, we know that he is the God of peace, but as the title of my message is, the God of peace is also the God of pieces. working his will and bringing salvation, even through what is broken and fragmented. And in this miraculous, often messy process, we discover that the God of pieces, as I've already mentioned, is also the God of profound peace. He is the one who can take the shattered remains of our lives and weave them into a tapestry of hope and purpose. Here we find the Apostle Paul a prisoner on a ship bound for Rome. He was waiting to be sentenced for, as we looked at this morning in the Sunday Squad, the beginning of his ministry, he's waiting to be sentenced for preaching the gospel. Making a trip would ultimately bring him to stand before Caesar to be sentenced. What begins as a seemingly ordinary journey soon transforms into a harrowing tale of survival, a testament of faith and a vivid illustration of God's providence in the midst. of chaos. And I'm going to look at this story and I have four points as we're going to go through this section by section and verse by verse. Look to apply it to our lives. And we read here we started and our first point is found in verses 9 through 12. We see that Paul gives some counsel or some warning. And my first point is the peril of ignored counsel. So the chapter opens with Paul warning the centurion and the ship's owner about the dangers of continuing their voyage. He foresaw trouble, as he says, disaster and much danger. In verse number 10, he says, we'll be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading of the ship, but also of our lives. Yet his advice was disregarded in favor of the pilot and the owner's judgment, and the desire to reach more comfortable harbor They thought they knew best. Or perhaps they simply underestimated the coming storm. And how often in our own lives do we, too, ignore the quiet warnings, the wise counsel, or even the inner nudges, if you will, which is the voice of the Holy Spirit, as Isaiah 30, 21 tells us. And it says, and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walk ye in it. or when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left. But often these warnings, the wise counsel, the nudges of the Holy Spirit, they tell us to oftentimes, maybe to pause, to reconsider, to prepare. How often do we come to a situation in our lives when we think we know best? Sometimes we even see the storm ahead. And we see it coming as we're sailing on this voyage through life, as we're applying our lives and using this story here in Acts 27, looking at our life as that voyage. We look, we see the storm ahead of us. But we think we can better the storm, and we think we know how to avoid the storm on our own. We press on, convinced of our own wisdom, or driven by our own confidence, only to find ourselves sailing headlong into trouble. We prioritize comfort over caution. Convenience over divine direction. This initial decision born of human presumption sets the stage for the tempest that follows and for the eventual breaking into pieces. It's a stark reminder that even the most well-intentioned human plans, our best wisdom, our best understanding, our best ideas, the most well-intentioned human plans can lead to peril when God's whispered warnings are dismissed. And his wisdom is cast aside. And how often in our lives do we do that? Even in the small, whether it's a small thing or a big thing, we come to a point in our lives where a decision has to be made. A choice has to be made. And we've talked about this. Every choice we make is a step in our life. And every step that we take in our life puts us on a path. And we know from God's word, you read through the book of Proverbs and other places, there's only two paths that God gives us. There's the path of righteousness, there's the path of the righteous, the upright, and the wise, as Proverbs described time and time again. Or there's the way of the wicked, the way of the world, the way of the sinful, the way of the evil. There is no middle ground. He talked to the church of Laodicea about that being neither hot nor cold, lukewarm, having a foot in the world, a foot in the church. Well, there's only two paths. Every time we make a decision, we're taking a step on one of those two paths. If we include God in it, and we're, as our Ephesians 5.18 tells us to be not drunk with wine where it is excess, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. Again, that's not saying, hey, the question is not whether I have the Holy Spirit or whether the Holy Spirit has me. When the Holy Spirit is indwelling me and controlling me and guiding me, then I know as I'm following that leading, not just that he's sending the guidance. He's always sending the guidance. The Holy Spirit's always there. It's whether I'm listening to it and following it. And when I'm following that guidance, that voice, as I mentioned that verse in Isaiah 30 and verse 21, that voice behind us, this is the way. rocky in it. And that voice comes when? When we're about to go to the left hand or the right, or to the left hand or to the right hand. When we're about to get off the path that God has for us, the path of the righteous, the path of the upright, the path that will bring honor and glory to Him and that will please Him. That's when it comes. Those subtle nudges, the doubt that may be put there, hey, there's something not right. Yes, to the right hand or the left side, it may look good. Again, it may be well-intentioned. There may be some maybe human reasoning or logic, and it may look good in the human eye, but it doesn't matter how well we plan it or how good it looks if it's not the way that God has for us. then there is no good ending for it. And there never will be. Now God is a gracious God. He's a forgiving God. So when we get into a situation like that and we do not follow the Holy Spirit's leading, He can because the God of peace is the God of pieces. He can help us pick up those pieces and then help us set us, get us back on that path. And know that mistake may not leave our heart and our mind. We may remember that time that we fell, and we broke into pieces, and we got into that from our own doing. But you know what? God's going to move us forward, forgetting those mistakes in the past, forgiving them, helping us, being the God of profound peace, but also the God of pieces that is there to help us and pick up those pieces. And we see the peril of ignored counsel. And we know as they ignore Paul's warnings that ultimately, as he tells later, and we're going to see this come from an angel that came to Paul and told him, Paul knew. Paul knew exactly what was going to happen. God had already told them, hey, you're on the ship. Well, here's what's going to happen on the ship. And he tells them, hey, this is what's going to happen, guys. But now we come to verse number 13, and I want to read a section here from verse 13 down to 20 for our next point. In verse number 13, this is right after they've rejected his counsel and his warnings. It says, and when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. But not long after, there arose against it a tempestuous wind called Euroclidan. And when the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island, which is called Clodham, we had much work to come by the boat, which when they had taken up, they used helps, under guiding the ship and fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands. strake sail, and so were driven. And we, being exceedingly tossed with the tempest, the next day they lightened the ship. And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. So the next point, my second point here this morning, we saw the peril. of ignored counsel. And here in these verses, we see the fury of the storm and shattered hopes. In verse 13, we see that the south wind blew softly. And was it say they're supposing that they had obtained their purpose. They loosed from thence where they were stopped and sailed close by Crete. They thought they had found the wind to take them. However, soon the winds turned violent. That south wind, they feel that south wind start to blow. And they go, hey, we have found the wind that's going to take us. South wind is pushing us, let's ride this. Hey, it's calm, it's good. Hey, we didn't need Paul's counsel. Again, they rejected that counsel, rejected. Hey, there's some hope now. That wind is blowing softly. Let it fill the sails and let's go. Hey, we're doing fine. Now look, we figured this out on our own. We stopped here and now look. Look, Paul, look at what we found. We found the soft wind that's blowing softly now into our sails. Hey, let's loose from here. And they sailed close by Crete. However, soon those winds turned violent. A tempestuous wind that's called Eurocliden, and we see that in verse number 14, sweeps down. And the ship is caught in its merciless grip. Eurocliden, also sometimes referred to as Euroquilo or Euroquilo, refers to a tempestuous cyclonic northeast wind that blows in the Mediterranean Sea. particularly during autumn and winter. It is known for its sudden and violent nature. It comes out of nowhere and it still blows. This wind is so common and so regular, that's why it has this name, Uroclidon. But it's known for its sudden and violent nature, capable of causing significant danger to ships. The word itself comes from Greek, euros, meaning east wind, and cloudin, meaning wave or violent agitation of the sea. But they feel this wind from the south start blowing softly. And they say, hey, we've made it. There's hope. Now we can sail on. There's no storm. Paul's crazy. What is he talking about? There's going to be great danger, hurt, and much damage to the ship and to our lives. Crazy man of God. This is why he's going to stand before Caesar. This is why he's going to prison. Look, we have this soft south wind blowing. And you know that Eurocliden came suddenly and harshly. And they were tossed about, losing control, and eventually start throwing cargo overboard in a desperate attempt to stay afloat. Day after day, the storm rages. The sun and stars even disappear. And with them, all hope of being saved. now flees. Imagine the sheer, unyielding despair, the bone-deep fear, the utter exhaustion as they face what seems certain deaths. Imagine yourself, and I know we don't sail on ships like this anymore, in storms like this, but you can go and imagine, and I'm sure you've seen it, these storms, or read stories of storms that ships have gone through. They're sitting there throwing things off. They throw all the many things, the light in that ship, to keep it afloat, trying to do anything that they can do as they face what seems like certain death. Their carefully laid plans, their well-intentioned plans, their wisdom, their understanding, their idea, and their thoughts now are utterly shattered. Their carefully planned plans are not just altered, they are shattered. Their magnificent vessel is not merely damaged, It is battered, broken, and their very lives hang by a thread. There is no peace in such a moment, only overwhelming, suffocating chaos of the storm. What started in verse 13 as a great day of hope, as they woke up and felt that wind blow All they could see in front of them was hope and peace, and, hey, we're on the right path. We've done the right thing. But you know what? They lost, or they set aside those warnings and that counsel from a man who had gotten word from an angel of God, from God himself, as God sent that angel to him. And now they're coming and say, hey, we've done it. All that hope. Hey, I'm sure there's some cheering. The wind is blowing. We're ready to go. Drop the sails. And now we see. it shattered. This is a powerful metaphor for the storms we encounter, the sudden devastating financial crisis that leaves us reeling, the health battles that steal our strengths and identity, the relational breakdowns that tear the fabric of our marriages and of our families, the periods of deep grief, depression, or anxiety that consume our very being. That, hey, we can live at a time where, hey, there's all hope. Everything looks great. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That south wind is blowing softly. Then you know what? We get comfortable. We say, hey, look what I've done. Look at what I can do. I don't need help. I don't need God. I don't need wisdom and counsel and all these things. Hey, I don't need to be careful. And we forget, the Bible says, take heed lest We forget that God's warnings and reminders are all through his book. That voice is behind us to say, hey, this is the way. Walk ye in it. And we think, hey, everything's great. The sun is shining. The flowers are blooming. But you know what happens? That south wind then disappears. And that Uroclidon comes into our life and starts to tear our life up. Those financial crises, the house battles, the relational breakdowns in our family, the periods of deep grief, depression, anxiety, whatever else it is that you can fill in the blank there. That Euclidean comes in many different forms in our lives, in our voyage of our life. These are moments when our carefully constructed lives are shattered. And we're, as human beings, we're prideful. We all, even as Christians, even myself, sometimes we get to a point in our life where, hey, that south wind is blowing softly. We think, hey, I've done this. I've made this. Look at what I've done. And we give ourselves all the credit and our well, what we call well-constructed lives are shattered. When all control slips from our grasp, and when the light of hope seems to vanish entirely from our horizon, just like here the sun or stars disappeared. In such times like those on Paul's ships, we feel utterly helpless, completely without hope, left with nothing but fragments, and the relentless pounding of the waves. We sit there dead in the water being pounded again and again with no idea what to do next or how to navigate the storm. We wait And oftentimes, this is what happens, is this is the moment when the Eurocliden comes. And we're in a mess. And there's nothing. We have no hope. The sun and the stars, they're gone. We don't know where we are. We don't know which way we're even supposed to face. And why is that important in this story? Without the sun and the stars, they had no way to navigate. Now they're here in the midst of the storm, and the ship's breaking apart. No hope and no way to even get to any land to get out of the storm. No way to navigate. They didn't have GPS on their ship. They didn't have radar to find the islands. They relied on the sun and the stars, and they were gone. When all hope, light, and our lives vanished entirely from our lives. Such times we feel utterly helpless, completely without hope. But it's not until this moment is when we bring God into our life. Now, now we will call on God. Now that we're in a mess. Now that our ship is breaking apart. Now, hey God, hey I want you in my life now. this Euclidean's in my life, it's tearing my life apart. My life is being shattered, it's breaking apart around me. The pieces are breaking off left and right, moment by moment, day by day, it's getting worse and worse, and I have no way, there's no light, there's no stars, there's no sun, there's no way to navigate, there's no way to get back on that path. All the while, we were on that voyage, this book that is a light into our path. We're shining the light on the path. That voice, that whispers in our ear that says, this is the way, walking it, never leaves. But what we do is we shut it out with all the busyness of life. We get our focus off of God and off of his book and begin to focus on our voyage and on our ship and what we can do in this voyage. the fury of the storm, and the shattered hopes. Our next point is found in verses 21 through 26. He says here, but after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, sirs, you should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and have gained this harm and lost. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss. of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar. And, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe, God, that it shall be even as it was told me, howbeit We must be cast upon a certain island. We see here Paul's faith in God's unwavering promise. In the midst of the darkest hour, when all others have given hope, when despair has settled like a shroud, Paul stands up. He reminds him of his earlier warning, yes, but then crucially, he delivers a message that cuts through the fear. like a beacon of light. He says, he reminds him, hey, you should have listened to me. You should have hearkened unto me. You should not have loosed from Crete when you felt that south wind blowing softly. But he says, hey, be of good cheer. He said, no one's going to die. and only the ship's gonna be gone. He proclaims with an unshakable conviction, born out of a divine encounter. Tells him about the angel. And he says, wherefore, there at the end of verse number 25, he says, wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, he says, for I believe God that it shall be even as it was. was told me." Indeed, Paul tells them of the angel who showed up and said, Paul, don't be afraid. The ship you're on is going to go through a storm. He says, but you're going to make it. This is the core of our hope. Even when hope is lost in human eyes, in our eyes, when every logical reason for survival has evaporated, God's promises in His Word remain. Paul's faith was not based on the calming of the storm. His faith was not based on the sun that would shine on the other side of the storm. Paul's faith stood firm even in the storm. His faith was based on the absolute certainty of God's unchanging and unfailing Word. Paul unashamedly and unafraid declared, I believe God. This is the anchor we desperately need in our own storms. The unwavering promise that God is with us. His abiding presence and his ultimate faithfulness, even when all seems to be falling to pieces, is around us. that He has a divine purpose for our lives and that He will see us through even if the path to deliverance is utterly unexpected and it devies our human logic. You know, God does not promise a storm-free life. He does not He doesn't promise that our voyage through life will be storm free, but he does promise his constant abiding presence and his ultimate faithfulness, even when all seems to be falling to pieces around us. It is this profound supernatural trust that allows for a peace that passes all understanding, a peace that can reside deep within the heart, even amidst the most violent Tempest as Philippians 4 7 tells us about that piece of God that passes on or saying that will keep our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ Hear this truth the boat you're on Might shake it might groan It might even feel like it's tearing apart, but if you'll do it like God is telling you now You'll make it If you're a child of God, you'll make it through the storm. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how bleak the outcome may look, you'll make it, but only if you stay the course and trust God. As Paul said, hey, I believe God. We saw Paul's faith in God's unwavering promise. And lastly, we see the perseverance and deliverance through the pieces. I want to read Acts 27 down to the end of the chapter, a little bit of a lengthy portion. But when the 14th night was come, as we were driven up and down in a radium, about the midnight, the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country and sounded and found it 20 fathoms. And when they had gone a little further, they sounded again and found it 15 fathoms, then feeling lest we should have Fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern and wished for the day. And the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship when they had let down the boat into the sea under colors as though they had cast anchors out of the foreship. Paul said to the centurions, to the soldiers, accept these abide in the ship. You cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat and let her fall off. And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that we have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore, I pray you to take some meat, for this is your health, for there shall not be a hair fall from the head of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all. And when he had broken it, he began to eat. And verse 36, when they, then, were they all of good cheer, and they all took some meat. Now they're back to being a good cheer. And it says there, verse 38, they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, cast out the wheat into the sea, so they took their last meal, threw the rest out, And when it was, verse 39, when it was day, they knew not the land. They discovered a certain creek with a shore into the which they were minded, if they were possible, to thrust in the ship, tried to get it in there, tried to find a way to get out of it. And verse 41, and falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground, and the fore part struck fast and remained unmovable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. And the soldier's counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out and escape. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land, and the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they escaped, all safe to land." So we see the perseverance and deliverance through the pieces quickly as we end here this morning. The journey continues, still perilous. They drift for days, finally sensing land. Yet even as they approach safety, new dangers emerge. Treacherous sandbars, hidden reefs, and the terrifying risk of the ship breaking apart entirely. Sometimes we see what looks like a sure way out to safety. We see what looks. like a beam of sunlight. They get a little hope, hey, if we can just get the ship there. Sometimes we think we can make it through this new way we have found, but if it's not God's way, you'll find your ship hitting a sandbar. Paul again intervenes with divine wisdom and human courage, preventing the sailors from abandoning ship, ensuring that all hands remain towards their survival. Finally, the ship runs aground. In a dramatic, almost unthinkable turn, it breaks apart under the relentless violent force of the waves. As it says there in verse 41, the ship, their only hope of transport, struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow struck fast and wouldn't move. It broke into pieces from the pounding waves. The ship, their very world, broke apart. But here, in this moment of utter devastation, we witness the profound truth of the God of Peaces at work. The very vessel that was meant to carry them safely, their symbol of security and control, is now irrevocably shattered, yet it is through these pieces, planks, and broken bits of the ship that everyone makes it safely to shore, just as God had promised Paul. God's deliverance often comes not through a miraculous disappearance of the storm, God doesn't always take the storm away. Yes, we see that with Jesus when he calmed the storm with his voice, but he doesn't always work that way, nor by preserving our comfortable structures in familiar ways, but sometimes by using the very fragments of what was broken. He takes the pieces of our shattered plans, our broken dreams, our fragmented lives, and uses them as unexpected instruments of his. salvation. It might not be the rescue that we imagined, the smooth sailing we prayed for, but it is a rescue nonetheless, a powerful demonstration of his sovereign power to bring wholeness and new beginnings. Then You know, sometimes we go through storms and the whole time we're praying for a way out. We prayed for a safe way out with no discomfort and no broken ship. Then when the ship breaks apart and we are We're left floating on the pieces. We start to question God and get angry with God or doubt that He heard our prayers or that we question whether He even cares. But God's ways are not our ways. As we see in Isaiah 55, 8 and 9, He says, My ways are higher than your ways. and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts. God can carry us even when it's in pieces, and then God leaves those pieces in the sea and sets us on dry ground to live the exact life He intended for us to live on the other side of the storm. And in that miraculous, tangible deliverance, a deep, abiding peace, from the God of pieces, and the God of peace settles. The profound peace of knowing God's hand was in it all, orchestrating salvation even through the wreckage. Every single life was saved. fulfilling God's infallible word. I wonder if as we stand on the beach looking at the storm we came through, if we have to hang our heads in shame because of how we responded. Or maybe we don't ever make it to the beach because we tried to make our own way. through the storm. The past that is left in the sea is not always a past filled with only bad choices or negative experiences. Sometimes we ourselves make mistakes or life's unforeseen circumstances. ruin a good past, shattering what was once whole and beautiful. Yet whether our past was marred by our own mistakes or by external forces beyond our control, God is there to help us and guide us through the storm. And sometimes it is precisely through the storm, the adversity, the breaking apart, that God can come and work in our lives. saving us from a past that might have been truly destructive, setting us free from its chains, and guiding us to a new, redemptive, and beautiful future. So what does Acts 27 teach us today? The first thing we saw was we need to heed wise counsel. Sometimes the quiet voice of wisdom, whether from our pastor, a trusted friend, from scripture, from our own conscience, whether those nudges, the Holy Spirit, the voice of God through our prayers can save us from much heartache. Second, do not lose hope in the storm. Even when all human hope fades, remember Paul's words. He said, I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me. Paul said, I believe God. He proclaimed it to everyone on the ship. He said, I believe God. I believe it will happen just like He told me. He said, God is present in the chaos and His promises are true. And then finally, And finally, God's deliverance is sure, even if it's unexpected, and even if it comes through the pieces. You might lose the ship, your job, your health, your plans, but God can still bring you safely to shore, using the very fragments of what was broken and lost. Even if the ship breaks, God is still the God of pieces. The God of peace is with you, and He knows how to cure you even when it's broken pieces. The God of peace is also the God of pieces. As Joshua chapter 1 in verse number 9 reminds us we are to be strong, and of good courage, to be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. We know the promise that God will never leave us, nor forsake us. We must be strong and courageous to believe in the God of the pieces, knowing that his plan for us remains. And even when our world feels shattered around us, Therefore, let this truth sink deep into your soul, no matter the tempest that rages, no matter how shattered your vessel may become. Our God is not distant, nor is He defeated. He is the master of the storm. The wind and waves obey His voice. He is the architect of salvation from the fragments. He will not abandon you to the waves. He will carry you, not just through the broken pieces, but with the broken pieces, to the very shore of His purpose for your life. Embrace His peace that passes all understanding, and walk forth in the strength and the courage He provides as the God of pieces. For truly, the God of peace is the God of pieces, and He is with you even unto the end. He will bring you safely through to dry ground as Paul did. Believe God is