C. S. Lewis gives us a sobering reminder, “There’s nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human’s mind against God.  God wants men to be concerned with what they do; the enemy’s business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them.” 

I cannot agree more!  Our enemy, the devil, loves to see us worried; hence, he keeps feeding us with these simple yet powerful words, “What if?”  The more we ask, “What if?” the more worried we will be; and the more worried we are, the less we will think of God.

Recently Santy and I received news that a friend in ministry might have to face an uphill battle against cancer.  The doctor found a mass on her bone and as a result, she has suffered bone loss.  In the beginning the doctor cleared her based on a negative biopsy.  But now the doctor is not sure and requiring her to undergo more tests.  When asked how she was doing, she answered, “I have thought of the worst; and I am ready.”  She did not ask, “What if?” instead, she accepted and dealt with the worst possibility. It is what it is.

When Paul embarked on a voyage to Rome, he had no inkling what would happen to him.  He certainly did not expect to be caught in the strong winds and be drifted aimlessly for miles.  As a normal human being, he must have thought of the worst—that he would perish in the sea—until God assured him that he’d be alright.  We know the rest of the story.  He landed in Malta and by God’s grace, healed the governor’s father.  Three months later when he left, there was already a church in Malta.  God wanted him there. 

Not only did Jesus want Paul to be in Malta, but He also wanted him to be in the sea for fourteen days, and in the shipwreck. Jesus also wants us to be where we are.  We might be here due to human’s mistakes, but there’s no mistake.  It is Jesus who wants us here.

Pastor Paul