This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Acts 27:27-44, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
There was a man named Paul who was traveling on a ship with some other people. They were on their way across the Adriatic Sea when, after 14 days, the sailors suspected that they were getting close to land. They were worried that they might hit some rocks and sink the ship, so they put down four big anchors to keep the ship in place until morning.
The sailors wanted to escape from the ship, so they lowered a boat into the sea under the pretense of dropping anchors from the front of the ship. But Paul knew that they couldn’t leave the ship, or they would all be in danger. He told the centurion (who was in charge of the soldiers on the ship) and the soldiers that everyone needed to stay on the ship if they wanted to be saved.
As the sun started to rise, Paul encouraged everyone to eat some food to give them strength. He thanked God for the food and broke some bread to share with everyone, they were 276 persons in the ship. After they had eaten enough, they threw some of the wheat overboard to make the ship lighter.
When it was light outside, they saw that they were close to land, but they didn’t recognize where they were. They saw a beach and decided to try to steer the ship toward it. They took off the anchors and loosened the ropes that controlled the direction of the ship. They put up the sails to catch the wind and steer toward the beach. But then, they hit a reef and got stuck. The front of the ship was stuck, and the back of the ship was getting destroyed by the waves.
The soldiers on the ship were worried that the prisoners (including Paul) would escape, so they decided to kill them. But the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he stopped them. He told everyone who could swim to jump overboard and swim to the shore, while the others floated on planks or other pieces of the ship. Everyone made it to the shore safely.
Biblical Lessons
- God can protect us even in difficult situations.
- Listening to wise advice can keep us safe.
- It’s important to have faith in God and trust in His plan.