Acts 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

We are creatures of the moment, and when undesirable circumstances continue we are entirely liable to lose hope. I find it telling that Luke was honest enough to say “we” here, rather than just accuse the soldiers and sailors. For the person who has encountered Jesus and welcomed Him as Lord, we aren’t limited by our physical circumstances but we are still greatly influenced by them. Growth in faith is growth in looking beyond the physical to our eternal Lord. Paul was on this ship, and he had already written, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) This was quite a practicum in truth that he himself had recorded! This sort of thing is one of many reasons we need each other. When one person is having a crisis of faith/hope, another can come alongside and encourage, speaking God’s comfort. The risk is in making the person feel put down for their lack of faith, so we must be careful to realize that we are all on the same plane here. They may be down now, but we could be down tomorrow. I am reminded of a story I saw recently of a couple that had four miscarriages in a row before finally having a healthy birth. That was certainly a test of faith for them, but they are now equipped to comfort others, just as it says, “We can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4) We all go through tests of faith, but if we respond properly we are strengthened and equipped, and then can go on to help others.

This is certainly timely! Yesterday was quite a day, going to a hospital over 90 minutes away to lay the groundwork for my wife’s back surgery next month. God prepared the way and arranged the schedule, but it was emotionally exhausting in the long run, and getting up this morning was not the easiest thing to do. If I have moments like this, I should certainly be understanding of others when they have low moments! God is faithful, whether we are paying attention to Him or not, but life is certainly easier to take when our attention is on Him! I actually have many reasons to be hopeful and even joyful, so allowing little things to pull me down is foolish, to say the least. I can see the things that are laid out for me to do today, and rather than drawing back from them, I need to rejoice that God has it all in control and He will give me the necessary strength, emotional as well as physical, to get it all done on His schedule for His glory.

Father, I do thank you for how beautifully everything fit together yesterday, and for the anticipation of it doing so today. Help me indeed “not grow weary in doing well,” (Galatians 6:9) but rather rest, relax, and rejoice in You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!