From: July 11, 2025
“After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta.” (Acts 28:1 ESV).
Luke recorded how the ship carrying Paul and his companions had run aground and broken apart in a storm. By God’s providence, all 276 passengers were brought safely to shore. Once ashore, they discovered they had landed on the island of Malta. What initially appeared to be a disaster was actually a divine detour. Paul, though a prisoner en route to Rome, did not let his chains or the shipwreck stop him from continuing his gospel mission. During the three months on Malta, he healed the sick, including the father of the island’s chief official, and shared the gospel with all who came to him. The people who first viewed him as a criminal later honored him as a man of God. Though rejected in Jerusalem, Paul was received with joy by Gentiles on this remote island. God had turned a storm into a stage for gospel ministry.
We often find ourselves on unexpected shores. Plans fall apart. Detours happen. But even when our circumstances feel like shipwrecks, God is still guiding us. Like Paul, we can trust that the Lord is at work in our interruptions. We may not recognize where we’ve landed at first, but if we open our eyes, we’ll see that God has brought us safely through and placed us where He wants us to serve. Every delay can be a divine appointment. Wherever He sends us—whether in a hospital room, a job transition, or a new city—we are called to share the good news of Jesus. Let’s learn to look for gospel opportunities in every detour.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for bringing us safely through the storms of life. Help us to trust You when plans change or circumstances feel out of control. Give us spiritual eyes to recognize the “Malta moments” in our lives—those places where You’ve sovereignly placed us to serve and share Christ. Use us, even in the unexpected, for the advancement of the gospel. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 11, 2024
“He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:30-31 ESV).
What Satan meant for evil, God used for good. The Jewish leaders that brought charges against Paul in Jerusalem actually ended up elevating his status, so that he preached before soldiers, centurions, governors, kings and even Caesar. His appeal to Caesar resulted in an all-expense-paid trip to Rome (albeit with shipwrecks and snake bites). Paul had a flourishing ministry at Rome while staying under house arrest in his own little rented house. He wrote several letters during this first imprisonment known as the “Prison” Epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.
It’s amazing how God can use difficult circumstances to increase gospel access and receptivity when we are willing to be used of God no matter where we are. As Joseph told his brothers in the book of Genesis, “What you meant for evil, God meant for good” (Gen. 50:20).
PRAYER: Dear Father, we often think that we could be more useful to You if only we were in better circumstances. Yet, we know that You are Lord over all and You can order circumstances as You please. Help us to be fully present in the place we are now, looking to see how we might join You in Your work. Not always looking for, nor waiting for, better times. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 11, 2023
“These are the leaders of David’s mighty warriors. Together with all Israel, they decided to make David their king, just as the Lord had promised concerning Israel” (1 Chronicles 11:10 NLT).
David was God’s man, but he was also a man’s man. There was something about his heart that the Lord chose to anoint him king. And there was something about his manner that made men of action want to follow him. He was an amalgamation of eclectic talent and passion rarely found in one man. He was both a song-writer and a stone-slinger, a man of words and a man of war, a gentle lover and a giant-killer, a musician and a mighty warrior. David was the humble shepherd made mighty king and his mighty men would follow him anywhere.
David was a foreshadowing of the Messiah. The one who would be both Lion of Judah and Lamb of Jehovah. The one who was lifted up on the cross that He might “draw all men” to Himself (John 12:32). Those who follow Jesus as King are made His mighty “warriors” today.
PRAYER: Lord, help us to be men and women of God today that are being conformed to the image of Your Son, Jesus. We don’t want to follow the course of this world. We want to be what You want us to be. We choose to find our identity in Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 11, 2022
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.
From: July 11, 2016
To Hebrew thinking, to know someone’s name was to know truly them. Those who know the Lord, know His character, know His power, and His promises. Those who know God have been brought into relationship with Him through Jesus, His Son. Knowing the Lord, they put their complete trust in Him. Knowing the Lord’s Name, they seek Him and are not “forsaken” (“abandoned, rejected, deserted, or left behind”). Growing in knowledge of the Lord, we grow in trust. The more we know Him, the more we trust and love Him. And the more we seek to know Him more.