I Don’t Know How, But God

When I look back at where I am today, I honestly cannot explain how I got here. I cannot trace every step or understand every turn along the way. But I know one thing for sure: God has done it. That is why I am here.

The Bible tells us about Paul after the shipwreck. He arrived on the shore as a prisoner, still in chains. The people there welcomed them and lit a fire because it was cold and raining. Even though Paul was a captive and a visitor, when he noticed the fire dying down, he got up, gathered firewood, and placed it on the fire to keep it burning.

While he was doing this, a poisonous snake came out of the fire, fastened itself to his hand, and bit him. The people knew the history of that snake. They said among themselves, “Even though he survived the sea, he will not survive this.” They expected him to drop dead. They watched, waiting for his hand to swell and his body to fail.

But the Bible says Paul simply shook the snake off into the fire, and nothing happened to him. After waiting and seeing no harm come to him, they changed their words and said, “This must be a god.”

Brethren, there are people who have been watching you. From the beginning of the year, they have been waiting for your downfall. They said there is no way you could survive the storms you went through and then survive what followed. They waited for your wound to worsen. But now we are in December, and God has preserved you.

They waited for Paul to die, but he stood. They waited for the poison to take effect, but it never did. As this year comes to a close, we may not know how we made it through, but we know one thing: God has done something, and God is still at work.

There is a God who does what man cannot do. Sometimes we face challenges that leave no hope in the natural. People look with their physical eyes and conclude the outcome. But God had placed something in Paul, and Paul had a purpose that still needed to be fulfilled for the glory of God. That is why he did not fall.

We see the same pattern in the Christmas story. Herod told the wise men, “When you find the child, come back and tell me so that I may also visit Him.” But God warned the wise men in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went home by another route. Herod waited—but they never returned. God had a plan for His Son, who came to save the lost.

They waited for Paul to die. Herod waited for the wise men. And perhaps today, someone is waiting for an issue in your life to destroy you. But I have good news: we serve the God who changes situations. Our understanding is limited, but He sees the whole picture—and He is on our side.

Do not be discouraged. What people are saying may sound logical, but God, the changer of situations, is in your life. There is something greater inside of us—the power of God that defies all odds.

As we enter into 2026, let us remember this: He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it. And you will stand and testify,

“I don’t know how, but God made a way for me.”