The end of Paul's recorded travels draw near, but we still have time to learn about the kindness of the people of Malta, the incident with the snake and the arrival near to Rome.
So, amazingly, the ship has been wrecked on Malta: you can see by the map I sent a couple of days ago that it is a very tiny bit of land in the Mediterranean! Immediately, Paul is hard at work gathering brushwood for the fire-the energy of the man-and the natives of Malta go from assuming he is a murderer to a god because he survives snakebite. What great timing for Publius's father! He experiences healing through the apostles' hands and soon all the sick of the island are queueing up to see Paul and Dr Luke. It is sadly ironic that Paul could heal others and still experience a lifelong 'thorn in the flesh'.
After three months at sea and wintering on Malta, Paul and the ship's company managed to get on another ship and head for Rome. This time it is a smooth passage and they arrive at Puteoli, which was Rome's port. There must have been a mixture of fear and excitement in Paul's mind as he began to observe the power and glory of the Capital of the Empire. His heart was lifted by the arrival of a contingent of Christian believers from the City. They had travelled seventy-odd miles to meet him and treated him with the respect reserved for great men and women.
Christians are never alone for: 1. They have the consciousness of the unseen cloud of witnesses around and about them, Hebrews 12 v 1; 2. They belong to a worldwide fellowship; 3. Wherever we go, there is God; 4. The risen Christ goes with us!