A minister, having chosen to speak of times of crisis, used as his text Acts 27:29, which recounts an incident in the attempt to transport Paul to Rome in behalf of his appeal to Caesar because of accusations leveled in Israel. The journey was difficult from the start, and at one point Paul warned against continuation, but he was not heeded by the masters of the ship. As the voyage progressed, however, and a tempestuous wind struck the ship, Paul seemed to take command. He urged crew and passengers to take heart, promising that lives would not be lost, that food must be eaten to sustain strength, and then he was heeded.
As the storm-worn ship came nearer and nearer to eventual destruction on a shoal offshore of Malta, the sailors released four anchors astern thereby hoping to stay the inevitable.
The four anchors were the minister's food for thought