“Paul gathered up a bundle of sticks and was putting them on the fire when a snake came out on account of the heat and fastened itself to his hand. The natives saw the snake hanging on Paul's hand and said to one another, “This man must be a murderer, but Fate will not let him live, even though he escaped from the sea.”

But Paul shook the snake off into the fire without being harmed at all. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after waiting for a long time and not seeing anything unusual happening to him, they changed their minds and said, “He is a god!””

(Acts 28.3-6 GNB)

Did the Malta “natives” misunderstand fate or did Paul change fate (per their definition) through God’s power?

Fate seems to get the blame for a lot of things. It probably started as a way to reason for things that humans do not understand and cannot control, but then sometimes became a shortcut for something else.

God is in control. Of the universe and everything and in my life.

Related: Detour