God Speaks
Paul Appeals to Caesar and Survives a Storm and Shipwreck Traveling to Rome
Verse of the Day: [As he awaited trial in Rome,] For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ–with all boldness and without hindrance! (Acts 28:30-31 NIV 2011)
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Watch TBR Day 348
We Respond
Acts 27
Reflection: Verses 1-9 tell how the prison ship with Paul aboard struggled getting from port to port. Verses 10-17 relate Paul’s first prophetic advice and the results. Verses 18-20 show the desperation of the situation as the ship was in a massive hurricane. In verses 21-26 and 30-38 Paul took charge, related a prophecy for their survival, and encouraged all those on board. Verses 27-29 and 39-44 depict what happened in response to Paul’s God-empowered leadership.
Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You for being with us always, even in the darkest, most challenging times like imprisonment and shipwreck. Make Your presence known through Your Word, through Your Spirit, and/or through other people whether they belong to You or not. Cause Your people to recognize and respond properly to Your sovereignty even when the going gets rough. Holy Spirit, please warn believers when disaster is ahead. May even secular leaders heed the warnings of godly people. Help us to cope and not give up in the midst of difficulties. Please use even dreams and visions to encourage people and reveal Your principles, plans, and purposes. When we are moved to panic, help us to turn the situation or problem completely over to You. Let us stick together so that we will all be saved. When the difficulty subsides, may we take time to rest in You, take nourishment, encourage one another, and thank and praise You. When the end You plan is in sight, help us to “go for it.” God, please give those in authority a wise plan of action so that all will reach their destination safely. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will continue (or begin) keeping a journal or logbook of my life journey (spiritual and/or physical).
- I will pay attention to wise advice, then looking to the Bible and listening in prayer to confirm if it is godly wisdom.
- I will turn daily to God for courage to act when difficult situations arise.
- I will fast or eat as the Lord God directs, not as my stomach or whims desire.
Acts 28
Reflection: After the shipwreck recorded in Acts 27, all on board the severely damaged ship made it safely ashore on the island of Malta, where they received a warm welcome. Immediately, there was a display of the power of God over nature (and possibly over demonic influence as well) with Paul being protected from the effects of a snakebite. Paul returned the favor of the warm welcome by praying for and facilitating the healing of Publius’ father. Many other people were also healed. This resulted in further assistance for the travelers. They sailed along the coastline, and when they finally arrived in the area of Rome, they were greeted by fellow believers. Paul had a measure of freedom while being guarded by a soldier. He explained to local Christian leaders why he was there and the charges against him. These leaders had only heard rumors about Paul and wanted to hear him for themselves. When Paul finished explaining about Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God from the scriptures, some believed, and some did not. Paul referred to Isaiah 6:8-10 in rebuking those who did not. Because of this, he announced that he was taking God’s gift of salvation to the Gentiles, who were open to it. Paul lived in a rented house (under guard) for two years, “boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.” (Acts 28:31 NLT)
Prayer: Dear God who directs His servants, please show Your people where they are to go and how to serve You there. May people we have never met before show great kindness to believers and vice versa like the residents of Malta and Publius did with the Apostle Paul and Doctor Luke. Please protect Your servants from all kinds of harm, especially misconceptions and misinterpretations of the truth. In the midst of ever-changing circumstances, may we, like Paul, thank God and take courage when we meet with other believers. May even leaders of the opposition be open to hear what God’s people have to say. May many of those who hear about the Kingdom of God truly believe. May those who disagree leave quietly and not cause trouble. May all believers everywhere continue to proclaim the Kingdom of God and teach about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance! AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will search out the facts and try not to jump to wrong conclusions like the residents of Malta did with Paul and the snakebite.
- I will strive to live in the power of the Holy Spirit so that He is free to use me in healing people and any other miracles He might choose.
- I will take courage from God Himself and encourage [give courage to] other believers.
- I will refuse to believe rumors but investigate things for myself, consulting the scriptures and discussing them with the Lord.
- I will regularly pray Acts 28:31 for all believers in Christ (especially those involved in serving the LORD on a professional or volunteer basis).
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.