Materials: Paper, markers or crayons, 2 small coins, Bible
Preparation
Read and study Acts 27.
Draw pictures of the Bible story to use as visual aids while telling the story.
Ask your child to make the sound of thunder by stomping their feet on the ground, to make the sound of wind by blowing with their mouths, and to make the sound of rain by snapping their fingers. Have all of the groups practice individually and together until they sound like a storm. Instruct them to make their sounds any time a storm is mentioned in the story.
Presentation
Say: Paul was chosen by God to be a missionary. He obeyed God and traveled to each country where the Holy Spirit directed him to go. Many things happened to Paul in the places where he went to preach about Jesus. One day, Paul made a list of the things that had happened to him. Listen to these verses in order to know what those things were. Read 2 Corinthians 11:24, 25 with the children. Write on a blank sheet of paper each of the things they discovered Paul experienced.
In each of these situations, God was with Paul because Paul trusted Him. Today we will discover the wonderful miracles performed by God after something terrifying happened to Paul.
At this point in Paul’s life, he had been arrested for preaching about Jesus and was being guarded by Roman soldiers. Paul, along with other prisoners and the guards, was traveling on a ship to Rome. In Rome, Paul would be judged by Caesar, the ruler.
Winter was approaching and traveling by ship was very dangerous. But the Roman captain wanted to return to Rome. Paul warned him, “This trip will be very dangerous. If you set sail, there will problems.”
But the captain decided that the ship would continue its journey to Rome. They were not far from port when a strong STORM came upon them. Enormous waves rocked the ship. Those traveling on the ship could not see the sun or stars for many days.
One morning as the STORM continued, Paul told the captain, “If you had paid attention to me, this wouldn’t have happened, but don’t be afraid. The angel of God told me last night that we will lose the ship but not our lives.”
The STORM continued for two more weeks. Then one night, the sailors discovered they were near land. Some of them had decided to abandon ship before it was destroyed by the rocks along the shore. Paul knew what they were planning. He told the Roman captain, “No one will be saved unless they stay on the ship.” This time, the captain listened and everyone stayed on the ship.
When morning came, those onboard were able to see dry land. As the boat approached the land, it hit a sandbar and could not get any closer to land. The Roman soldiers were afraid that the prisoners would jump into the water and escape.
“Let’s kill these prisoners before they get away,” said one of the Roman soldiers.
The Roman captain wanted to save Paul, so he said, “No. They all must swim to shore.” So everyone on the ship jumped into the water. Some swam to the shore. Others found pieces of wood and floated on them until they reached the shore. None of the 276 people that were onboard perished or escaped. God protected Paul and all who were in the boat because Paul trusted in God and obeyed Him.
Say: Paul faced two types of trouble in this story. He was being held as a prisoner, and his boat was in a huge storm. In both situations, Paul trusted God, and God helped him.
