By Rev JOHN OKWII
There are seasons when everything seems to be breaking. The ship is breaking, the economy is breaking, families are breaking, trust is breaking and institutions are breaking. Some communities are also breaking under the weight of insecurity, poverty, drugs, corruption and violence, and sometimes the believer is left asking, “Lord, where are You?”
Paul had every reason to ask the same question. He was a prisoner. Yet, he was travelling according to the will of God. He had not committed the crime that justified his imprisonment, and he was on his way to Rome because God had already declared that he would testify there.
Yet, suddenly, the journey became a nightmare as the wind became violent, the waves became merciless, the ship was damaged, the cargo was thrown overboard, and the sun and stars disappeared. Hope itself seemed to disappear before the final blow came: SHIPWRECK!
Yet the most powerful lesson of Acts 27–28 is that the ship was destroyed, but God’s promise was not destroyed. Paul lost the ship, lost possessions and endured danger. He was later bitten by a poisonous snake, but he did not lose his destiny. He was shipwrecked, but not killed; bitten, but not destroyed; delayed, but not denied; attacked, but not abandoned; wounded, but still useful. He was imprisoned, but still carrying a message, and although he was travelling through Malta, he was still going to Rome.
The storm may be real, but God’s word is more real
One of the dangerous misconceptions among Christians is the belief that if they are in God’s will, they will not experience trouble. Paul destroys that theology because he was a servant of God, a missionary and a man carrying a divine assignment, yet he encountered a storm. Therefore, trouble is not always evidence that you are outside God’s will.
Plateau State has known storms. Nigeria has known storms. Africa has known storms. The Church has known storms, while families and leaders have also faced storms of different kinds. There are storms of corruption, insecurity, kidnapping, banditry, communal conflict, poverty, unemployment, drug abuse, moral collapse, political disappointment, injustice, displacement, fear, family breakdown and spiritual lukewarmness.
But the Church must not interpret the storm as the death of God’s purpose. The presence of trouble does not mean that God’s promise has been cancelled, because the circumstances surrounding us do not have the final authority over what God has spoken concerning His people. THE STORM IS REAL, BUT GOD’S WORD IS MORE REAL.
Acts 27:44 gives us a remarkable statement: “And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.”
The ship did not survive, but the people did, and that is a powerful distinction. Sometimes God does not preserve the structure; He preserves the people. Sometimes the old system must break so that something better can emerge, and sometimes what you thought you needed to survive is exactly what God is allowing you to leave.
The ship represented their method of transportation, but the promise was bigger than the ship. God had told Paul: “You must be brought before Caesar.”
Paul did not survive because the sea was calm. He survived because God had spoken. Acts 27:25 says:
“Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.”
Now we arrive at Acts 28. Paul and the survivors reached Malta cold, wet and exhausted. They had survived the sea, but their troubles were not finished. The islanders built a fire, and Paul gathered sticks. While he was serving, a poisonous snake came out because of the heat and fastened itself onto his hand.
Imagine that! After surviving a shipwreck, he was bitten by a snake. Paul could have said, “God, enough is enough!” But God was not finished with him.
The people watched him and expected him to swell up and die. They assumed that his suffering was proof that he was a wicked man. But Paul shook the snake into the fire, and he suffered no harm.
Paul was going to Rome, but he passed through Malta. Malta was not Rome, yet Malta was not wasted. This is one of the greatest lessons of the passage: THERE CAN BE A MIRACLE IN MALTA BEFORE YOU ARRIVE IN ROME.
Paul was bitten in Malta, but he also ministered in Malta. Publius’ father was healed, and other sick people came and were healed. The island experienced blessing because a wounded prisoner arrived carrying God’s presence.
Our communities face genuine and painful realities. Kidnapping has created fear, banditry has displaced families, communal violence has wounded communities, drug abuse is destroying young lives, corruption damages institutions, poverty crushes dreams and unemployment frustrates young people. Families struggle, leaders face enormous pressures and citizens become discouraged. Sometimes the Church itself struggles with division, compromise, materialism and spiritual fatigue.
But the answer is not despair. THE CHURCH MUST BECOME LIGHT IN THE STORM. The Church must not merely complain about darkness; it must carry light.
REVIVAL IS NOT ONLY LOUDER PREACHING. Revival is when the liar begins telling the truth, the corrupt person repents, the violent person becomes a peacemaker, the drug addict finds freedom, the broken marriage begins restoration, the young person discovers purpose, the businessman refuses to cheat, the politician chooses justice and the pastor refuses to sell the gospel. Revival is when the father returns to his children, the mother finds hope and the Church becomes salt and light. That is revival.
Paul did not wait for Rome before he started ministering. He could have said, “I am only passing through Malta. My real ministry begins in Rome.” No! He ministered where he was. STOP WAITING FOR ROME BEFORE YOU SERVE IN MALTA.
Some people will interpret your suffering incorrectly. They may say, “You are finished,” “God has abandoned you,” “You will never recover,” “That family is finished,” “That church is finished,” or “That young man will never amount to anything.” But do not allow people’s interpretation to become your destiny. LET GOD WRITE THE FINAL CHAPTER.
The snake was shaken into the fire, and this is a picture of spiritual determination. Paul did not hold a conference with the snake, negotiate with it or build a memorial to it; he shook it off.
There are things believers must shake off. We must shake off bitterness, unforgiveness, fear, hopelessness, addiction, hatred, tribalism, spiritual laziness, compromise, the mentality of defeat, the belief that nothing can change, the desire for revenge, corruption and every habit that contradicts Christ.
Paul eventually reached Rome. From Rome, while under imprisonment, he wrote letters that became treasures of the Christian faith. The prison did not silence him, the chains did not cancel his ministry and the confinement did not stop revelation. The man who survived the shipwreck eventually became a blessing to generations through his writings.
This is why we must never despise Malta. MALTA MAY BE PREPARING YOU FOR YOUR EPISTLE. Your experience may become somebody else’s instruction, your pain may become somebody else’s encouragement, your survival may become somebody else’s faith and your testimony may become somebody else’s road map.
Do not waste your Malta
Fathers, mothers, children, husbands and wives, the family is one of the greatest battlegrounds of this generation. When the family collapses, society eventually pays the price. Therefore, fathers must stand, mothers must stand, husbands must stand, wives must stand and young people must stand.
Families must pray together, eat together, talk together and forgive one another. Parents must protect their children and teach them Scripture, work, discipline, compassion and respect for people. They must teach their children to reject drugs and understand that money without character is dangerous, education without wisdom is insufficient and success without God can become a trap.
Pastor, bishop, apostle, evangelist, elder, missionary and Sunday school teacher, do not give up. The Church does not need leaders who are intoxicated by popularity; it needs leaders who are intoxicated by the presence of God.
We need holy leaders, praying leaders, truthful leaders, servant leaders, courageous leaders, accountable leaders and compassionate leaders. We need leaders who cannot be bought. The pulpit must not become a marketplace, the anointing must not become a commodity, the poor must not become instruments for fundraising and the gospel must not be reduced to promises of material prosperity.
Africa’s young people must hear this: YOU ARE NOT A PROBLEM TO BE DISCARDED. You are carriers of gifts, creators, entrepreneurs, teachers, engineers, doctors, farmers, artists, pastors, scientists, builders, missionaries and future leaders.
Somebody reading this has waited for years. You prayed, believed, worked and cried, and you almost gave up. Hear this: do not bury your expectation because the journey has been difficult. You may have lost the ship, but you have not lost the promise. You may have entered Malta, but Rome is still ahead.
For the Christian, the spiritual implications are clear. We must believe God’s Word above circumstances because our circumstances are not the final authority over our destiny. We should expect opposition without expecting defeat, because Christianity does not promise the absence of storms; it promises the presence of Christ.
We must turn suffering into ministry and not merely ask, “Why me?” Instead, we should ask, “Lord, whom can I bless because I survived this?” We must shake off what the enemy sends and refuse to nurse spiritual snakes or continue feeding bitterness. We must maintain our identity in Christ because suffering is an experience, not an identity.
We must refuse hopelessness because hope is a Christian weapon. We must remain useful during the waiting season because Paul served on Malta before reaching Rome. Above all, we must believe in divine preservation because what God has assigned, He is able to preserve.
Faith must also become visible. Therefore, Christians should pray consistently, evangelise intentionally, mentor young people, support vulnerable families, reject bribery, practise honest business, report crimes through lawful channels, support peaceful conflict resolution, resist ethnic and religious hatred, reject drug abuse and seek professional help where addiction is present.
We must also be careful not to use Paul’s story to minimise real tragedy. There have been families who have lost fathers, children who have lost mothers and communities that have lost loved ones. Some victims of violence have not survived, and some prayers have not received the earthly answer we wanted.
Rome is still ahead
Church, arise! Families, arise! Young people, arise! Leaders, arise! Africa, arise! We have been through storms, but we are still here. We have been wounded, but we are still standing. We have been disappointed, but we still believe.
We have seen corruption, but we will practise integrity. We have seen violence, but we will pursue peace. We have seen poverty, but we will create, work, build and serve. We have seen drugs destroy lives, but we will rescue the vulnerable and proclaim freedom.
We have seen kidnapping and banditry create fear, but we will not surrender our hope or abandon the vulnerable. We have seen communities divided, but we will become instruments of reconciliation.
Church of Jesus Christ, let us return to our knees. Let fathers pray again, mothers pray again, young people seek God again, pastors preach Christ again, churches disciple again, Christians forgive again and believers evangelise again. Let leaders repent where repentance is needed.
Paul eventually arrived in Rome. The journey was not easy, but the promise survived the storm. The shipwreck could not cancel it, the snakebite could not cancel it and the imprisonment could not cancel it.
Final declaration
I may be shipwrecked, but I am not killed. I may be bitten, but I am not destroyed. I may be delayed, but I am not denied. I may be wounded, but I am still useful. I may be in Malta, but Rome is still ahead.
My family will not surrender to despair. My church will not surrender to compromise. My generation will not surrender to drugs, violence and hopelessness. We will pray, we will work, we will serve, we will forgive, we will build, we will evangelise and we will disciple.
We come before You for our families, our churches, our communities, Plateau State, Nigeria and Africa. Where there has been shipwreck, bring restoration. Where there has been fear, release courage. Where there has been violence, raise peacemakers.
Where there has been kidnapping and banditry, bring protection and justice. Where drugs have destroyed lives, bring deliverance, treatment, restoration and new purpose. Where corruption has weakened institutions, raise men and women of integrity. Where poverty has crushed hope, open doors for dignified work, enterprise, education and opportunity.
Raise a generation that cannot be bought. Raise pastors who cannot be corrupted. Raise young people who cannot be destroyed by addiction. Raise fathers who will lead with love. Raise mothers who will raise children with wisdom. Raise leaders who will pursue justice. Raise Christians who will carry the gospel beyond church walls.
We believe You. We trust You. We will not give up. We will shake off the snake. We will survive the storm. We will serve in Malta. And by Your grace, we will reach Rome.
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Crux sola est nostra theologia. Solus Christus! Amen.
Rev. Prof. John Brown Okwii, the
Serving Pastor, Assemblies of God Church, Hwolshe, opposite Model Academy, along Yakubu Gowon Way, Jos, writes via johnbrownokwii@gmail.com