Snakebites and Promises

Paul and the crew and the rest of the prisoners. Shipwrecked. Swam to shore or hung on to debris and floated to shore. Arriving safely, but cold and wet. Most likely with nothing but the clothes on their backs; thankful to be met by friendly faces. (the people on the island could have been cannibals) A promise kept.  Thinking a fire would be in order, they decided to gather wood to build one.  And, wouldn't you know it--a dirty, rotten, no-good-for-nothin' poisonous snake, driven out of the pile of wood by the heat, planted his venomous fangs into Paul's flesh. I'm sure it hurt. Maybe he even cussed (after all, he had been hanging out with sailors). Or maybe he was too refined and godly to cuss, I'm not sure. Wide-eyed and breathless, the islanders stood motionless as Paul flung the serpent into the fire. And they waited. Waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. No one offered medical assistance. Not even a band aid. They knew what should have happened. What they didn't know was that God had given Paul a promise. A promise that he would stand before Caesar in Rome, and he wasn't there yet. So, while there was still pain in the journey (and in his hand), he chose to trust God.
 I can't help but wonder if Paul shook his head when the ugly serpent reared its head. Not another crisis. Not more pain. Wasn't it enough that he had been falsely accused? That he had lost his freedom? That he had lost everything and had almost drowned? And now? Just when he thought things would get better...the serpent. It reminds me of that first serpent. The bite that brought the first death. But, just as Paul flung that snake into the fire, so shall Christ fling that Serpent into the fiery pit of destruction. And just when we think we can't handle one. more. thing, God will step in and rescue us from death through His Son. And we can trust Him to do what He promises He will do. And though we may not understand, nor agree, nor have eyes to see what is in the woodpile, His promises hold firm. We can trust Him in spite of our circumstances.        Acts 28

Signed, Just a (Redeemed) Sojourner from Egypt         

Shipwrecked

Paul was on his way to Rome to stand before Caesar. A prisoner.  He warned the ship's crew of impending danger. The warning was unheeded and the ship set sail., anyway.  Not long after, a (light) wind began blowing. Then, the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of (typhoon) strength tossed the ship back and forth. The sailors tied ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. Started throwing cargo overboard. Gear overboard.  Everything they could think of to save themselves. The terrible storm (raged) for days. The sun and stars were blotted out by the darkness of the storm. 

Until at last, all hope was gone. 

But then, an angel of God relaying a promise appeared to Paul. A message of hope and a promise of safety for the entire crew. Shipwreck was certain, but the promise would remain. All would make it out alive if they trusted God. And then, on the fourteenth night of the storm, fear took over the sailors, once again. They tried to abandon the ship; they made a plan. The plan was to lower the lifeboats as though they were putting out the anchors. It sounded perfectly sensible. A lifeboat is made for preserving lives. But Paul reminded them of what God said. He told them they would die unless they stayed aboard. They chose to give up the plan they made and trust. Trust against instinct. Trust against circumstances. Trust against what made sense in the moment. When the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat, what despair they must have felt. A last ditch effort to save themselves floated away, along with their last shred of hope. Sure enough, as the angel had told Paul, the ship ran aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves. And it began to break apart. I've been there before. A promise from God. More wind and waves than I could withstand. Feeling like I was drowning. Watching my last efforts to save myself and change my circumstances float away. 

The ship was lost. Everything on the ship was lost. But, not a single life was lost. The ones who were able to swim, jumped into the water and swam to shore. The others who could not swim, held on to planks and debris from the broken ship. But they still made it to shore. Just as God had promised. 

The storms of life sometimes rage. And sometimes I just try to keep my ship from falling apart. But hope is found in a promise. And promise is found in Christ. I may, indeed, be shipwrecked. But, no matter if I swim, or simply hold on to the planks and debris of life, the hope and promise is that I will make it to the shore if I trust Him.  Acts 26 & 27

Signed, Just a (Redeemed) Sojourner from Egypt

Violent Love

In Acts chapter 27, we find Paul, a former zealot for God and against Christ-followers, being accused. Accused of being a troublemaker, stirrer-up of riots, ringleader of a cult, desecrator of the Temple. A Jew turned Christ-follower himself after an unlikely encounter and a blinding light.  Now facing trial. Imprisonment. The same he had doled out for others a few chapters earlier in Acts. Now defending his newfound beliefs. His newfound faith. He admitted his guilt. He was guilty of following the Way (the Truth and the Life). He was guilty of believing in the resurrection of the dead. Of believing that Christ was who He claimed to be and that He did what He said He would do. Of believing Jesus was the Son of God and that He died, was buried in a tomb, and was alive again. Two more years in prison. Trial again. The accusations made against him having to do with religion; that Paul insisted a dead man named Jesus, was now alive. As Paul recounted his own encounter with Jesus, he related as one who was educated and textbook savvy. One who knew the Law. One who was zealous. A man of deep god-fearing conviction. He believed in the depths of his heart that he was doing the right thing. He hunted. Violently chased. Punished Christ-followers to get them to curse Jesus. Condemned them to death. 


Until he met Jesus on a dusty road. On his way to complete a well-intentioned mission, he found himself being questioned by the One whom he had questioned. Jesus hunted. Violently chased. Forgave. Chose. In a moment. An instant. In a flash of light. Paul was blind, but then he could see.  Full of sight and vision. Paul stopped cursing Jesus and started proclaiming Jesus. 


Have you considered the road on which you are traveling? Is it dusty and leading to death? Are you ready for an encounter that will drop you to your knees and raise you to a new life?  Jesus violently goes after those whom He loves. He died a violent death to give us new life. New sight. New vision. New hope. Just as with Paul, He calls us by name. All we need to do is respond.  

Signed, Just a (Redeemed) Sojourner from Egypt 

Wait for the Next Chapter

Sometimes things get worse before they get better. The people of Israel were in captivity and were groaning under the weight of their oppression. They cried out for help. For rescue. For freedom. Then God sent Moses and Aaron to talk to Pharaoh about setting them free. But, instead of things getting better for the Israelites, things got much worse. Unbearably worse. Even Moses, who was called for the specific purpose of leading the Israelites out of slavery and into freedom, questioned God's methods and motives. And the Israelites became too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery to listen to any message of hope of being rescued. Things got worse before they got better. In fact, it was chapters later when the Israelites were finally rescued. Chapters of suffering. Chapters of hopelessness. Chapters of tears. Chapters of wondering if the God they claimed to know really cared about them and really loved them.
But then, there was a verse stuck at the end of one of those chapters and it says, ''On that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an army." (Exodus 12:51). And in Exodus chapter 13, we see more hope. ''This is the day to remember forever---the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of His mighty hand... you have been set free.''
Wait for your rescue. It could be in the very next chapter.

Signed, Just a (Redeemed) Sojourner from Egypt

Everything Will Be Fine