Acts 27:1

Acts 27:1 says, And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band.  Here, we find the record of the beginning of Paul's trip from Caesarea to Rome.  Paul and other prisoners were delivered to the custody of a Centurian named Julius, who was of the band of Augustus. We are not told how much time passed from Paul's testimony before Agrippa until his being put on a ship to get to Rome. Verse two adds, And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.  We might think that since Paul was under arrest in the care of the Roman army that they would just provide a ship to transport him, but they had to wait for a ship going that way.  When we hear someone say that God doesn't expect them to be hampered by travelling by public transportation, we need to look at Paul.  He was going to do what God was sending him to do, but he was at the mercy of those who had him imprisoned, as well as their finding transportation. They left Adramyttium, planning to sail by the coasts of Asia.  A Macedonian named Aristarchus sailed with them, another to support Paul. Verse three adds, 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.  The next day, they docked at Sidon, and Julius gave Paul liberty to meet with his friends there.  We need to realize that even when carrying out instructions from those in power over them, not all people in power over us wish us to suffer. We must also acknowledge that Paul did not take advantage of the trust Julius placed in him.  He was free and on land, but he had an obligation to represent God to those around him and an obligation to preach the gospel in Rome.   Verse four continues, And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.  Still, Paul was not without friends with him, including Luke, by the use of the term "we sailed" and his being acknowledged as the author of Acts.  When we are feeling imprisoned by the world, we can take heart in the fact that we are not alone.  Even if they aren't with us physically, we can be certain that we have Christians with us in Spirit, supporting us in prayer.  When things are hard, and we see what seems to be an easy escape, we need to ask if it glorifies God and supports our calling from Him.  Verse five states, And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. They were slowly making their way to Rome, just as we are slowly making our way to heaven.  Like Paul, even if we were to be imprisoned here, we need to continue to witness for Jesus Christ. Verse six adds, And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.  Once more, we need to realize that they could not just book a direct plane or even ship to Rome but had to find one going that way that they could secure passage on.  Verse seven continues, And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;  They were sailing slowly because the wind was against them much of the time.  We are not guaranteed an easy passage through this life, but we are guaranteed that God will always keep us safe spiritually if we are faithful to Him.  Verse eight concludes, And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.  They arrived at a place called Fair Havens near Lasea.