DISASTER OR DIVINE OPPORTUNITY?
Luke wrote how the people on the island of Malta welcomed them with kindness after their ship wrecked on its shores. It must have been a wonderful relief after the terrifying time they had at sea, being blown from Crete to Malta by a storm. The sailors had lost their ship and all its cargo, but not one life was lost as the Lord had promised them through Paul.
They spent three months on the island of Malta after being shipwrecked there, waiting for another ship to take them to Rome. The apostle Paul used this time to preach the gospel and to heal people from all over the island, including the chief official’s father, in the name of Jesus. Paul had been rejected in Jerusalem, but he was honored in Malta. The gospel was going out to the Gentiles.
What should’ve been a deadly disaster turned out to be a divine opportunity. Yet, how many times do we miss such opportunities? We get so concerned about the loss of possessions, or the inconvenience of being delayed, that we fail to see God at work. How can we be like Paul and see divine opportunity when others see only disaster?
PRAYER: Dear Father, teach us to stay in Your presence when storms and disasters happen around us. May we learn to see You at work and join You there, so that we take advantage of the opportunities You open to us. Fill us afresh with Your Spirit that we might always walk in Your presence and power. In Jesus’ name, amen.