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Jan 15, 2025 06:00am

Faithful Promise Keeper

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“I, Shaun, take you, Yalanda, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part.”

A promise.

At that moment, you never realize the magnitude of those vows. You can’t fathom the circumstances, the events, the trials, the heartbreak that will come through the years that will test that promise. But you hold tight to these words and remember that this wasn’t just a commitment between 2 people.

It’s a covenant with God.

And He is the faithful promise keeper.

Acts 27:39-44

“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.
40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.
41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.
42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.
43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reached land safely.”

God had promised Paul that he would reach Rome and would preach the gospel there. A major storm had tossed the ship full of prisoners and threatened their lives. But God had promised they would make it out alive as long as everyone stayed with Paul.

Even though they faced a deadly storm, they made it safely to land.

But their troubles weren’t over yet.

Acts 28:1-4
“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, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”

The islanders believed in many gods and superstitions. But Paul was brought to this island to demonstrate the power of the one and true living God.

“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.”

Paul pointed them to the true healer, The Lord Almighty. They remained on the island for three months, sharing the truth about Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for them.

“7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days.
8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.
9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.
10 They honored us in many ways, and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.”

God had told Paul that he would be used in Rome. Even through the life-threatening storm and venomous snake bite, Paul remained alive.

Whatever you are going through, know this…

God is a faithful promise keeper.

How beautiful to know that we can trust what He says! He loves us. He cares about us. He desires to use us for His great purpose. And He fulfills His promises to us.

“All my life, you have been faithful. All my life, you have been so so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.”