Acts 27:14

Acts 27:14 says, But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.  After the gentle south wind, there arose a tempestuous wind called an Euroclydon.  When we go against the word or will of God, things may begin smoothly, but eventually the tempest will come.  It may not be in this lifetime, but the eventual outcome is assured.  Even if we gain the world, when time passes away, so will everything we gained outside of the will of God.  Only those things laid up in Heaven will last. Verse fifteen adds, And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.  The ship was caught up in the wind and they just had to let it go where it would.  Matthew Henry states that the wind was sent by God to bring glory to Himself and honor to Paul.  Since God had sent a warning by Paul of the danger, we can either believe He sent the wind after they refused to listen to Paul, or that He knew of its existence beforehand.  I choose to believe the latter, since God has no constraints of time and I don't believe He would act after the fact just to prove Himself right.  The real issue is that those in charge of the ship refused to believe Paul's warning from God.  Verse sixteen continues, And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:  They ran under an island called Clauda.  Verse seventeen concludes, Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. They were no longer in control of the ship.  When we begin to go against the will of God, somewhere we will lose control of our life.  We will stumble around in darkness just trying to hang on. This is true, no matter our material status.  When we are not operating under the power and protection of God, there can never be any real peace. The lost of the world may never acknowledge it, and like the sailors with Paul continue to struggle to save their stuff, but it is a losing battle.  The Christian can never deny it.