“MAKING IT ON BROKEN PIECES”

Acts 27:39-44 (NIV)

³⁹ “When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could”.

⁴⁰ “Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach”.

⁴¹ “But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf”.

⁴² “The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping”.

⁴³ “But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land”.

⁴⁴ “The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reached land safely”.

How many of you are fighting for your life right now? Life is tossing you from side to side like a rag doll in a turbulent storm. You have experienced so many ups and downs that you do not know which way to go. You feel you are at your wit’s end. You feel the walls are crashing down around you. For some, you are just ready to give up. You just do not want to go on anymore. You feel life is too hard. You think that nothing is going to change. You feel you have done all you can do. You feel alone. You are holding on only by a thread. A fragile thread that could break at any moment with a sudden jar of movement. I know it is hard right now. I know it looks bleak. But you need to hold on. God needs you to grab hold of one of those broken pieces right now. As it is said in His Word, they grabbed pieces of boards and parts of the ship to escape safely to shore. What is stopping you from reaching out and grabbing hold of those pieces and escaping to shore? Is it your so-called friends? Is it doubt? Is it unbelief? What is it that is stopping you? Have you given up on God? Have you forgotten about God? What is it?

You are in the middle of the sea, and the ship that represents your life is being tossed and turned. You are going through a turbulent storm. The storm could be your marriage. The storm could be losing your job. The storm could be financial struggles. The storm could be that child that is not acting right. The storm could be grief, you just lost a loved one. Whatever your storm is, God is saying I got you. Just grab hold of one of the broken pieces. I will pull you safely to shore. God is saying give me a chance. God is providing you with a lifeline. Do you see the broken pieces in the middle of your storm? Do you see them?

• One of the broken pieces is called the Word of God.

Meditate on the Word of God. Study His Word every day. Psalm 119:10-11 (NIV) says ¹⁰“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. ¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”. Meditate on His Word, day and night, and hide it in your heart.

The more you read God’s Word, the more it becomes a part of your life. You can speak the Word over your situation. Mark 11:22-24 (NIV) says ²²“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ Truly^[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” That means all you must do is speak to your situation and have faith and believe that you receive it.

• One of the broken pieces is called Prayer.

You should go to God in prayer.  Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) says ⁶“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Pray over your situation and talk to God about it. Stop calling your girls. Stop calling your boys. Stop looking for a second opinion or someone to co-sign. Look to God for guidance.

• One of the broken pieces is called Songs of Praise.

In the middle of your storm, sing out songs of praise to the Lord. Give Him thanks. Psalm 150:6 (NIV) says ^6“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord”. No matter what is going on in your life praise the Lord. Thank Him for life, health, and strength. Give Him the honor and praise, He deserves to be magnified. No matter what is happening in your life, praise Him. No matter how bleak it looks. Tell Him thank you. Even if your bank account is reading zero and the light bill and mortgage are due, tell Him thank you. Praise Him in the middle of your storm. Even when you do not see a way out, praise Him anyhow.

• One of the broken pieces is called the Holy Spirit.

Call on the Holy Spirit to guide you. Ask the Holy Spirit for the answers. Genesis 1:27 (NIV) says ²⁷“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”. The Heavenly Father breathed life into us. That means He is inside of us. That means the Holy Spirit is inside of us. The Holy Spirit is there to guide us. Many times, we will say “Something said”. Something did not say it, stop saying that. It was the Holy Spirit talking to you. We can let the Holy Spirit guide us through our situations. We are not alone.

John 14:26 (NIV) says ²⁶“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. The Holy Spirit is there to guide us. To lend a helping hand. Listen to the Holy Spirit and let it lead the way. Stop leaning to your understanding.

• One of the broken pieces is called Hope and Trust.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says ¹¹“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. God’s plan for our lives is for us to prosper. It is not for us to be broke. It is not for us to have to struggle. It is not for us to be living paycheck to paycheck. Stop trying to do it by yourself.

He wants you to trust and believe Him. Take Him at His Word. Philippians 4:19 (NIV) says ¹⁹“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus”. Our Heavenly Father is rich. He can supply all our needs. He’s just waiting for us to ask Him for help. He’s just waiting for us to believe and have faith.

Matthew 6:25 (NIV) ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes”? Hope is faith. God does not want us to worry. He does not want us to have to go through strife. He does not want us to struggle with anything. He just wants us to trust Him. He will do the rest. Trust His Word. He says don’t worry about eating or drinking or the clothes you will wear. He will worry about that. Know that God will provide.

• One of the broken pieces is called Strength.

You are not alone in your battle. You are not alone in your struggle. Cast your cares on the Lord and He will fight your battle for you. Psalm 55:22 (NIV) says ²²“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken”.

Psalms 1:9 (NIV) says ⁹“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Philippians 4:13 (NIV) says ¹³“I can do all this through him who gives me strength”. Rely on God for your strength. Reach out to Him.

• One of the broken pieces is called Faith.

Even if one of the other broken pieces mentioned is one of the ones you need to grab hold of without faith it means nothing. If you do not believe that God can work it out for you. If you do not believe that He will make a way out of no way. If you do not believe that He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. If you reach out for one of the other broken pieces and do not have faith it will not work. You must have Abraham’s kind of faith not Thomas’s kind of faith. You must believe without seeing.

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) says ¹¹“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”. You must believe the Word, meditating day and night. You must have faith and believe that God is going to work it out. You must have faith and believe that God has your back.

Matthew 6:26 (NIV) says ²⁶ “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they”? If He takes care of the birds in the air, don’t you think He will take care of you? Yes, He will. You must have faith and believe it.

Matthew 17:20 (NIV) says ²⁰“He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” All you need is to have faith. Faith, the size of a mustard seed. Faith, the size of a tiny grain, and God will move mountains for you. But you must trust Him.

God is calling out to you. He is saying grab hold of one of the broken pieces. I know your life is in shambles right now, grab hold of one of the broken pieces. I know you feel alone right now, grab hold of one of the broken pieces. I know you lost your mother, and you miss her, grab hold of one of the broken pieces. I know your bank account is reading zero, grab hold of one of the broken pieces. I know your marriage is in trouble, grab hold of one of the broken pieces. I know you are thinking of suicide, don’t do it, grab hold of one of the broken pieces. I know you are hurt right now; grab hold of one of the broken pieces. Come safely to shore beloved. Even when it seems like you do not have any more strength left. God is saying hold on just a little while longer. Grab hold of the broken pieces called peace, Jehovah Shalom. Grab hold of the broken pieces called strength, Jehovah Jireh. Grab hold of one of the broken pieces called healing, Jehovah Rapha. Grab hold today. Yes, the boat is rocking from side to side. Yes, the seas are rough. Yes, the storm is turbulent. But your God is mighty, and he can fight your battle for you. Grab hold of the Master today and let Him guide you safely to shore.