Paul's Scary Dangerous Sea Voyage to Rome
(Acts 27-28)

The Apostle Paul had been arrested and put in jail for telling people about Jesus. But God had a plan for Paul's life. He wanted Paul to travel all the way to Rome, the most important city in the world, to tell people there about Jesus too.

So Paul and many other prisoners were put on a big sailing ship. A Roman soldier named Julius was in charge of keeping them safe. The ship set sail, but the winds were not good. The journey was hard and dangerous. Paul warned the men in charge, "Men, I can see that this voyage will be very bad. There will be much loss, not just of cargo but also of our lives." But the captain and the ship's owner decided to keep sailing anyway.

Soon, a terrible storm came. It was so powerful that the men could not control the ship. The wind pushed them far out into the sea. For many days, they could not see the sun or the stars. They lost all hope. The men threw the ship's cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. They even threw out the ship's equipment. They had not eaten for a long time. It seemed like they would all drown in the angry sea.

But then, Paul stood up in the middle of the storm. He told everyone, "Men, you should have listened to me. But now, I beg you to be brave. None of you will die, but the ship will be destroyed. For last night an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar in Rome. And God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.' So men, be brave. I believe God. Everything will happen just as he told me."

Paul's words gave everyone hope. On the fourteenth night of the storm, the sailors thought they were near land. They dropped anchors to slow the ship. When daylight came, they saw a bay with a beach. They tried to run the ship onto the shore. But the ship hit a sandbar and began to break apart. The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners so they wouldn't escape. But the commanding officer, Julius, wanted to save Paul. He ordered everyone who could swim to jump into the water first and swim to shore. The rest held onto pieces of the ship and floated to safety. Just as God had promised Paul, every single person reached the land safely.

They discovered they were on the island of Malta. The people there were kind and built a fire to warm them. Paul gathered sticks to add to the fire. A poisonous snake bit him on the hand. The people of Malta saw this and thought, "This man must be a murderer. He escaped the sea, but justice will not let him live." But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and felt no pain. They waited for him to swell up or die, but nothing happened. They decided Paul was a god.

While on the island, Paul prayed for the sick, and God healed many people. After three months, another ship arrived to take Paul and the others to Rome. When they finally arrived, Paul was allowed to live in his own rented house with a soldier guarding him. He welcomed everyone who came to see him. He boldly preached about Jesus to all who visited, teaching about the kingdom of God. For two whole years, Paul lived in Rome, telling everyone who would listen about Jesus, and no one stopped him.