July 4, 2022
Shake it Off!
Beloved one when the time came, to set sail for Italy, Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. Paul said, we left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the way. (Acts 27:1-2)
The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it. “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul. Since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure. (Acts 27:9-12) They would not listen and ended up shipwrecked on the island of Malta. The people of the island were very kind. (Acts 28:1-2 NLT) It was rainy and cold, so they decided to build a fire.
As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”
(Acts 28:3-6 NLT) But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god. (Acts 28:3-6 NLT)
This is a word for someone: ‘What are you burdened about right now?’ Cast your burden upon the Lord. He cares for you. This burden (battle) belongs to the Lord. The Lord will fight for you. Only be still and keep your mouth shut! (Exodus 14:14) The Lord will vindicate you. (Job 13:18) No weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken! Shake it off! Shake it off! God has got you! His eye is upon you and your situation. Trust Him!
