As we continue to read Paul’s journey in the book of Acts, I cannot help but see Jesus’s provision in Paul’s life. While Paul and his crew were shipwrecked on Malta for three months, they not only received unusual kindness from the people of Malta, but they also got to see people healed in Jesus’ name. And to wrap it all up, they are sent off in high honor.
Paul’s time in Malta feels like a very real representation of Mark 16:18 when Jesus says this about his disciples, “they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
We will not always be free from the pain of snakebites like Paul was in this passage. In fact, freedom from physical pain doesn’t seem to be frequent in Paul’s life either. However, God gifted them with a time of incredible hospitality and miraculous acts of the Holy Spirit during their time in Malta.
In our lives of following Jesus, we will face similar seasons. We will have seasons of metaphorical shipwrecks and hardships, but we will also have seasons overflowing with fruit. Paul encountered both, but I believe that in both circumstances, Paul clung to the promises of Jesus. He never fell into a scarcity mindset with his Savior. And when their time at Malta came to an end, God sent him off in abundance into the next season.
When we have seasons of unmerited favor, praise be to God. When we have seasons of snakebites, praise be to God that the ultimate snakebite of satan is forever gone in Christ. No matter what kind of season we’re in, we have a God who provides, and sends us out for His name’s sake. Today as we go out, may we recognize his provision, and recognize His mission.