We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest. Acts 27:8-12
Don't let the name fool you. Fair Havens isn't a dangerous place, but it's not the best place to over-winter, at least according to first century sailors.
But wouldn't it have been better to wait out the winter in Fair Havens instead of enduring two weeks in a hurricane, frozen, soaked, sick, hungry and eventually shipwrecked?
Nope.
It was by the direction of a sovereign God that Paul's ship sailed from Fair Havens into disaster. Before diving further into the wonder of the remainder of this maritime miracle story (which I'll do in the next few days), let us simply begin by understanding that whether our day today is sun filled or stormy, the Hand of our Sovereign is piloting our lives.
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