How do you keep going when you find yourself in a certain place in life wondering “how in the world did I ever end up here?” “Here” was not part of your plan. “Here” is not the destination you planned to reach. “Here” was not the road you planned to travel on.
Yet “here” is exactly where you are.
“When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight, the sailors sensed they were approaching land. When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.” — Acts 27:13-15, 27, 39, 28:1
Paul was on his way to Italy when a large storm pushed their boat to an unknown island called Malta. After 14 days of being tossed around, he was happy to land but Malta was not part of his itinerary. To make matters worse, Paul was bitten by a snake that should have killed him that first night. He could have easily moped & felt sorry for himself but he viewed his interruption as an assignment. Because he survived the bite, the islanders revered him as a god and the head official of the island came forward asking for healing of his dad. Many on the island came to faith as God used Paul to reach them through these set of circumstances. This unwanted & unwelcomed stop in Paul’s eyes was really a miracle in the Maltean’s eyes.
I often times I find myself questioning God about my “here” and when I do, God continually reminds me: “here” is right where I need to be even if it makes absolutely no sense in my mind. And in that confusing, sometimes dark, and usually uncertain place of “here” is the perfect place for God to work in your life.
Have you landed in an unexpected Malta today?
- promotions that keep passing you by?
- headaches that doctor-by-doctor can’t figure out?
- lost your job at no fault of your own?
- 28 and single?
Remember all things pass through God’s hands.
The key to understanding “here” is your perspective. Are you seeing misery or mission? Bitter or better? He places us in those places of “here” that make no sense so He can use those circumstances to strengthen, to test, to teach, to mold, and ultimately in the end, use to fulfill His perfect will for our lives.
Reflection |
Stop fighting your circumstances and instead begin looking for God’s purpose in those circumstances.