THE FAIR HAVENS – WHEN TO LAUNCH

 

Monday, October 17, 2022

 

THE FAIR HAVENS – WHEN TO LAUNCH

Acts 27:7-11

7 And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;

8 And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.

9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast [the Day of Atonement, about the beginning of October] was now already past, Paul admonished them,

10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

11 Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

 

          It is equally important not only to know what to do but also when to do it. The very name “The Fair Havens” sings her siren song to stay a bit longer. I did an internet search and found a blend of history and geography. Here is what I found.

 

          “Fair Havens would have been the westernmost harbor Paul’s ship could reach while staying under the lee of Crete. Beyond the cape west of Fair Havens, the shore turns north dramatically, exposing the ship to the winds they were trying to avoid. The fact that the harbor was “unsuitable to winter in” was confirmed in 1853 by an explorer named Captain T. A. B. Spratt, who observed that winter winds from the east and southeast blow right into the harbor. But the decision to make a run for Phoenix was not wise. Vegetius (4th century AD) records that sailing in the Mediterranean after September 15th was dangerous, and after November 11th was impossible (De re militari 4.39). When they decided to sail after the Day of Atonement (Acts 27:9), it was the middle of the “dangerous” period.

 

          A window of opportunity is what we call a period of time between can’t and shouldn’t and we are often confronted with these. The history of our phrase strike while the iron is hot derives from a blacksmith striking a horse shoe when the temperature of the metal was exactly right. If the blacksmith would wait too long, then the metal would cool and would become more difficult to shape. To further scramble my metaphors, this was precisely the case of the expeditionary forces on June 6, 1944. The cause was too important to wait for an ideal time.

 

          Caleb, in Numbers 13:30-33, saw himself as an overcomer but the doubters said that “we are like grasshoppers in their sight.” They were both right.

 

Dear Lord, give me the courage to do what must be done and the wisdom to know when to do it. AMEN