Day 5: I will not die but live
...As [Paul] put [brushwood] on the fire, a viper... fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake... they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer... though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire... After waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god (Acts 28:3-6).
Heavenly Father, Sovereign Lord, You have given us Your assurance, You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You (Isaiah 26:3 – NLT).
The peace You give is not conditional on our circumstances, or our tenure on this earth, for all the days ordained for [us] were written in Your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). No wonder our Lord Jesus challenged us, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?" (Luke 12:25).
You are the God who declared, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen” (Isaiah 14:24). Your purpose stands in every detail of our lives, our circumstances, and our world.
The apostle Paul understood this, when he addressed a crew of terrified sailors caught in a wind of hurricane force... when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days... (Acts 27:14, 20). In the darkness and the raging storm, in the hopelessness and the despair, Paul could still deliver the calm message, "Do not Fret":
"I urge you to keep up your courage... not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me (Acts 27:22-25).
O Lord, teach us to know, as Paul did, that even when the winds howl, the gales blow, the waters churn, the darkness enshrouds; even when the ship is broken to pieces, all will proceed just as You have said. Help us to know that even after the shipwreck, the turbulent waters, the planks of desperation— and still after all that, vipers and venom (Acts 27:20-Acts 28:6), we will journey as far as You have decided.
Teach us to take courage, so that we may share the hope and gracious favor of the Lord with those who sail with [us]. Let us hear Your message of peace, "Do not be afraid."
Give us the confident assurance, I will not die, but live and proclaim what the Lord has done (Psalm 118:17)— whether to Caesar, who mistakes himself for God, or to the misguided, who mistake us for gods. So that Your purpose may be fulfilled, Your kingdom would come, and Your will be done.
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