19 October | EVERYONE
«But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.» Acts 28:5, 6
Why does God not perform the same miracles of biblical times today? The truth is that He still does. They are supernatural events that happen when God wills, because He wants and with whom He wants.
It happened on the island of Malta. The people of that place did not know God, but they were hospitable to the shipwrecked men of the boat that was carrying Paul to Rome, and who had had a hard mishap at sea because of the storm. The victims of that storm would have to spend a few days on the island while they tried to salvage the boat.
One day, while Paul was gathering firewood, a snake bit him. The islanders, superstitious as they were, immediately believed that Paul was being punished by divine justice for some sin. Many people today feel the same way. That God punishes the disobedient by sending them pain, sickness, and accidents. But that is not true. In many cases, suffering can be the result of personal follies (which does not imply that God sent it at all), but it can also be the natural result of living in this world of pain and injustice. The Maltese thought that the prisoners had been saved from perishing at sea, but Paul would not be spared from dying from the venom of the serpent.
The story tells that God performed a miracle and the apostle did not die. Seeing him, the islanders wanted to make him a god and worship him. Paul, of course, did not accept human honors, but this incident shows us once again that miracles are divine interventions that occur when God wills and for the reasons He knows.
Take Action
Just because God does not always act visibly does not mean He does not deal with every difficult situation His children face. Learn to trust God and live secure in His protection!