Paul now embarks on his journey to Rome. A centurion called Julius was given charge of Paul and he treated him well, even allowing him to visit friends in Sidon. This is the only mention of Julius, but is an example of Jesus' words that anyone who gives any help to a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. What Julius did is not noted by God. Likewise, all that we do is noticed by the Lord.
The journey then became more difficult. At one point Paul advised them not to proceed further, but the centurion, understandably so, followed the advice of the pilot and sailed on. Surely enough they caught in a terrible storm. Now Paul could have gone in a huff, but instead encouraged the crew and built up their faith, and also gave them practical advice. There will be times in life when we will encounter trouble because of someone else's fault. In those times we have a choice, we can take umbrage and get all bad tempered, or we can continue to live by the Spirit. It is far better to do the latter!
In the midst of the storm Paul was the one with a cool head, giving both practical and spiritual advice, and eventually they were able to run the boat ashore on Malta.
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