Faith in Fiery Trials

 

    

 

    

    

Acts 28:1-6

 

Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live." 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

NIV

 

People are very fickle indeed. How they will interpret situations is pretty hard to guess.  In this passage of Scripture, the double mindedness of men is pretty easy to see.  When Paul  was bitten by the snake, they assumed him to be evil and deserving of death.  When it did not kill him,  just that quickly, they did a full 180-degree turn and decided instead that he was a "god".  Wow.  That was a huge leap.

So what can we learn from this story?  Many wonderful  life lessons are contained in this short account.  The first thing, and possibly the most important, is the truth that God protects His own.  Paul was on this island simply because of his ministry of telling people about Jesus.  He was being persecuted for his faith and God performed this miraculous sign on behalf of Paul. He allowed the snake to bite him, but not poison him.  We all bear witness that bad things happen to good people.  Godly  people.   Rain (pain and hardship) falls into the lives of all people.  But when you are a Christian, you can trust that God is watching over you, that He loves you, and that He will work it all out for your good.  This Bible is full of proof regarding these truths.

The second thing we can learn from this passage is the truth that people are watching our witness constantly and drawing conclusions from it.  Based on this one snake-bitten event, they drew two diametrically opposed conclusions: 1) He was a murderer;  2) He was a god.  We cannot necessarily sway how people will perceive our situation or our walk with God.  But we do need to make sure that we bear good fruit even in tough times.  And we need to keep our words lined up with our witness.  People are watching.  Our lives do not just belong to us.  When we give ourselves away at salvation, we are agreeing to allow our lives to be an evangelistic tool.  When life happens to us, it does not cancel our responsibility.

Finally, we can learn that when a bad thing happens, people can sometimes want to accuse us of deserving our circumstance.  People need to have a reason for pain, if one is not obvious, they invent one.  We must avoid being quick to judge.  We must be very careful in drawing conclusions based on partial information or at face value.  When trials come, so do the "friends of Job."  People will say the craziest stuff to hurting people.  Sometimes the comfort is as painful as the trial itself.  Pray for discernment and wisdom so that you can offer genuine comfort to the hurting.  To tell a bereaved spouse or parent that "God needed another angel" is not a comfort.  First of all, angels  are created being and humans do not become angels.  Second of all, it trivializes their pain and makes God sound selfish and cruel.  Of course, people say those things because they desire to help the person feel  better.  But when we are speaking to someone going through intense pain, we have to use an extra measure of mercy, wisdom and discernment.  Sometimes the very best thing we can say is "I love you.  I am sorry you are going through this."  Followed by a hug,  this is a one-size fits all comfort.  People need to know we love them. That we get that they are suffering and that we have come alongside them as best we can.

We all go through stuff.  The best of people can walk through the worst of circumstances.  We must choose to look for God in  our darkness and find comfort in His presence.

Dear God, I pray today for those walking through a fiery trial.  Please comfort and encourage them.  Send them helpful support, O God, and put a guard upon our mouths that we do not cause further pain.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.