Not all revivals occur in happy, peaceful circumstances. Some revivals happen after we experience difficult situations, even life-altering interruptions to what we thought would happen.
Paul was being transported by ship under armed guard to Rome, where his appeal to Caesar would take place. After Paul and his 276 shipmates had endured weeks of a severe storm that had to alter their original plan of travel, their ship finally broke apart on the shore of an unknown island.
“Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold” (Acts 28:1-2).
As Paul was helping gather wood for the fires, a poisonous snake bit him on the hand. When the snake bit Paul, the people thought he must be a criminal, and the snake bite was justice catching up with him. Paul shook the snake off into the fire and didn’t die. Now the people thought Paul was some kind of god.
“There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured” (vs. 7-9).
Days before, in the middle of the raging storm, Paul addressed his shipmates with a word from the Lord, “Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you. So, keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island” (7: 23-25).
No storm of life or any challenging life-altering circumstance can prevent God from doing what he promised, even a revival on an unknown island that no one had planned to visit.
We should never look at any difficult circumstance of life, even the threat of death, as an obstacle to what God has planned. God had a plan for the inhabitants of the island of Malta, even though Malta was not on Paul’s travel itinerary.
The Lord has plans to do something similar in our lives, in unknown places and at unknown times, if we continue to believe the promise God made to us while our lives were in jeopardy and a shipwreck was taking place.
Thank you! Your words and God’s give great hope and insight. Reading this my mind went in several directions beginning with the kindness of the people of Malta after the shipwreck. Isn’t that just God!