Acts 27:39-28:6
39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.
42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.
28:1Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. [1]
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What struck me today was simply the illustration in this brief passage the God is in control. Several amazing things happen – they find land, they survive their ship being destroyed, the centurion saves the lives of the prisoners, Paul is spared when bitten by a viper, and so on. God had promised Paul that he would testify in Rome, and so nothing is going to keep that promise from being fulfilled. Even though this passage today makes no reference to God’s direct action, He is clearly the actor behind the scenes, carrying out His plan, seeing Paul safely to shore and on his way to Rome.
God is in control. This is a comforting and reassuring truth. It’s not a denial of free will. God’s control doesn’t mean He is the puppet-master and we’re all just playing out the script He has written. Nor does it mean that we aren’t responsible for the poor choices that we make. Nor does it mean that we don’t need to bother praying that His will be done, in our world and in our lives, as Jesus instructed us to do in the pattern for prayer He gave us.
God’s sovereign will is a mystery, at times a paradox, but always a source of comfort. His will for the kingdom will be accomplished. The resurrection will come. Blessing will be worked out of the fallenness and brokenness of this world.
How do we respond to this truth, incomprehensible as it is? We trust. We put our faith in the Shepherd, and pray for His will in our lives.
So my prayer today is for faith to trust that God is in control. I pray that my words and actions may be in line with His will, but above all I pray for faith, that I live today and each day in the comfort and certainty that my God is in control.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Ac 27:39–28:6). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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