Someone Else's "Monkey-Wrench"

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Today marks the anniversary of the Halifax Explosion in 1917 that killed thousands of people and leveled a good part of the city. (http://daisiesfrommymeadow.blogspot.ca/2012/11/90435.html). After the disaster the good people of Boston Mass. sprang to the rescue and rushed supplies and personnel to Halifax to help. Since that time, and in gratitude for what the citizens of Boston did, Halifax sends them a giant tree every year for their Christmas celebrations.

Some unwise decisions taken by a sea captain in 1917 brought disaster down on the heads of Haligonians. There are times when the unwise, and sometime nasty, decisions of others cause us a lot of grief too.

I was reminded of this truth this morning as I created a new blog for my Spanish-speaking friends. I used a meditation from my book Diseño Divino Para la Vida Diaria, to launch the blog. Today’s reading was from Acts 27 and described Paul’s sea voyage to Rome. God wanted Paul in Rome but the apostle warned the captain that the time for sea voyages had passed and that they needed to stay in port over the winter. However the decision of the captain and Paul’s guards was to head out in spite of the stormy forecast. As a result, they were in danger of losing the ship and their lives.

BUT GOD WANTED PAUL IN ROME, not twenty thousand leagues under the sea. So God sent Paul an angel to reassure him, and those traveling with him, that all would be well. “...I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed” (Acts 27:22).

No “nasties” planned by man; no unwise decisions taken by others, can thwart God’s plan for those who obey Him. There may be difficult consequences that must be faced because of those unwise decisions, but God will not allow anything to divert Him from carrying out His divine purposes.

That should be an encouragement for all of those who follow after Him.