I know all roads lead to Rome, but it may be more difficult to get there than we think. On a mission trip to Alexandroupolis, Greece, my family decided to take a few excursions to Athens and to Rome. But while we were there, terrorists exploded a bomb at the airport which we had hoped to use to get to those places. Our trip to Athens was an amazing experience with a fellow minister and her husband. For those few days, all was well. Although a tour guide booked our trip to Rome, Murphy’s law intervened. Everything that could go wrong went wrong on the way to Rome and in Rome.
Luke and Paul did not have an easy trip to Rome either. After the shipwreck, three peaceful months on Malta took them through the stormy season. Then they boarded a ship. Notice again Luke’s attention to detail, even describing the ship which took them toward Rome from Malta. This is not just a story. It is history. Syracuse and Rhegium were real cities on the way. At the port of Puteoli, they arrived south of Rome. Brothers and sisters had come down to greet them and spent a week with them.
God is in all the details of our lives. So often he makes his presence known not only in sequences of events, but in relationships with people. From the kindness of the people in Malta to the welcoming committee in Puteoli, God orchestrated the wind and the waves to bring Paul to Rome. Sooner or later, God gets us where we are going. We may endure many dangers, toils, and snares along the way, but “God leads his dear children along.” Our lives are strengthened measurably through fellowship with brothers and sisters along the way.
