Acts 27:13 "And when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close inshore."

Paul and other prisoners are on board a ship that is to deliver them to Italy. The prisoners, including Paul, are in the custody of a centurion. The ship has had a hard time, with constant winds against it, and has anchored in a harbor called Fair Havens. Here, Paul advises the centurion that if they go on now, he perceives things will get much worse, with the loss of the cargo, and even possibly lives, but the centurion listens instead to the captain and owner of the ship, who say they cannot winter at Fair Havens, and hope to reach a more suitable harbor. (Acts 27:1-12). Having set out under the captain's plan, they at first encounter a gentle south wind, and they think they have made the right decision. Soon, though, a northeaster strikes, and they end up tossing their cargo overboard and barely escaping with their lives as the ship eventually runs aground on an unknown island. (Acts 27:14-44).

Paul's words represent God's will in this story, His perfect will (as opposed to His permissive will, which is what ends up being done). Paul is on a mission from God, as we the reader know, but his other shipmates (besides Luke) do not realize this. It is understandable, then, that the centurion would listen to the captain of the ship over Paul. But we know who Paul is and what is going on, so we know those in charge of the ship should have listened to Paul (as he can't help but point out later, when they are in deep trouble (Acts 27:21), which totally endears him to me!).

Reading this as a lesson in hearing and following God's will, I think it is important to note that the ship was allowed a gentle south wind for a few days before all hell broke loose. This is often how it happens when we sail under our own direction, contrary to God's will. If we don't listen to God, and instead follow our own judgment and do our own will, He will often let us "coast" for a short time before we experience the effects of our error. This is not Him toying with us, but rather a necessary way to make certain we realize what we have done. It is God being able to say "You should have listened to me", and us being in a position where we have to agree.

If we encountered trouble as soon as we set out under our own direction, we would turn back immediately, and often still convince ourselves that it was all us: "I saw the signs of trouble and changed my mind! Phew! Good job, me!" God knows our hearts, He knows if this is what we would do, and if it is, He lets us get far enough from shore under our own sail before He sends the storm. That way, as we are battling through it, we can think back to the signs God was giving us that we ignored, or His laws that we disobeyed, and realize that we should have listened to Him. We should always listen to Him, His will is perfect!