God is sovereign and loving, even in the midst of extreme chaos. Acts 27 closed with a shipwreck. Acts 28 opens with the inhabitants of the island caring for the shipwrecked travellers (v. 2, 7). God provided for the travellers, protected Paul from death (v. 3-5) and healed many people on the island (v. 8-9). He even ensured that Paul and his fellow travellers had provisions for the rest of the journey to Rome (v. 10). Often God’s care for our needs comes at unexpected times through unexpected methods. After a description of Paul’s stay in Malta, Acts 28 describes how he finally arrived in Rome (v. 11-15). It had been many months of travelling, parts of which were extremely difficult. God knew that Paul, as a human, was tired. So God called a group of believers to meet Paul and encourage him on his way to Rome (v. 14-15). Even though Paul was a prisoner, he was given a large amount of freedom (v. 16). This allowed his to preach the gospel to many, including local Jews (v.17, 30-31). God arranged Paul’s living situation so that the news of Jesus would be spread in Rome. Paul, recognizing this, was faithful and obedient.
Journaling and Prayer
1. It is important to take time in our busy lives
to reflect and meditate on the things that speak to our hearts. Spend some
quiet time reflecting on the book of Acts. What are themes, stories, messages
or ideas that stuck out to you? What are some things you learned about yourself
while working through this book? What are some things that you learned about
God? Thank God for the gift of the Bible and for speaking to you through the
book of Acts. Pray that He would take what you’ve learned through this time
with Him and impress it as a permanent seal upon your heart.
2. Throughout Acts we see that God placed believers
in Paul’s life to encourage and strengthen him. Paul took delight in this. Ask
God who He has placed in your life for this purpose. Ask God to reveal to you
whether you joyfully accept this gift of community or try to maintain a false
feeling of independence. Ask Him to speak to your heart about your role in the
local community of believers.
3. Acts ends on a wonderful note: “Boldly and
without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord
Jesus Christ” (v. 31). Imagine what our world would look like if the Church
lived like this! Spend some time praying for the worldwide Church today. Think
of the many problems plaguing our world: war and conflict, poverty, abortion,
growing secularism... Imagine what the world will look like when Jesus returns
and makes everything right. Pray that believers around the world would become
motivated to live out their faith boldly. Pray that, filled with the power of
the Holy Spirit, the Church would rise up against injustice in the name of
Jesus. Pray that the Church would be a tangible revelation of God’s love in our
dark world. Pray that believers would grow to become passionate intercessors.
Pray that we would all live with an eternal mindset and grow daily in
passionate love for Jesus.
