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Friend, before the coffee cools and before the day gathers speed, let's spend a few moments together in the harbor of God's Word. Welcome to this Wednesday verse of the day bonus episode of Tales of Faith by the Sea. Today's verse comes from Acts chapter 27, verse 14. But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind called Uruquillo. How quickly the weather can change. One moment the sea seems peaceful, the sails are full, the voyage appears to be progressing just as planned. Then almost without warning, the wind shifts. Every sailor knows that feeling. But you don't have to be on a ship to experience it. Life has its own sudden storms, a phone call in the middle of the night, a visit to the doctor that does not go as expected. The loss of a job, a strained relationship, a burden you never saw coming. Luke says before very long. Isn't that often how troubles arrive? Not next month, not next year, but before very long. There is something else we should notice. The storm was powerful, but it was not permanent. It filled the sky, it battered the ship, it changed everyone's plans. But it did not have the final word. Storms never do. Sometimes we spend so much time asking Why did this happen? That we forget to ask. How can God use this? Acts twenty seven reminds us that even when men make poor decisions, even when the wind turns against them, even when the storm and the sea seems determined to swallow the ship, God has not surrendered his throne, the storm may change your schedule, it may change your plans, it may even change your life, but it cannot change the character of God. He remains faithful, he remains present, he remains in control, and often it's during the fiercest winds that we learn how firmly our faith is anchored. Perhaps the wind has changed in your life. Maybe this week has brought something you never expected. Remember this, the same God who was with Paul aboard that storm tossed ship is with his people today. The wind may change, the waves may rise, but the Lord never changes, and that makes all the difference. Until next time, may your heart remain steady when the winds begin to shift. Your faith hold fast in every storm, and your confidence rest in the unchanging God who never abandons his children. This has been Nathan Hampton, a minister in the Lord's Church. Safe sailing, my friends, and goodbye.