Sunday August 25th, 2024
« When life challenges cast you down, open your mouth & declare ‘My exaltation is on the way’ »
13 A soft wind from the south began to blow, and the men thought that they could carry out their plan, so they pulled up the anchor and sailed as close as possible along the coast of Crete.
14 But soon a very strong wind—the one called “Northeaster”—blew down from the island.
15 It hit the ship, and since it was impossible to keep the ship headed into the wind, we gave up trying and let it be carried along by the wind.
16 We got some shelter when we passed to the south of the little island of Cauda. There, with some difficulty we managed to make the ship’s boat secure.
17 They pulled it aboard and then fastened some ropes tight around the ship. They were afraid that they might run into the sandbanks off the coast of Libya, so they lowered the sail and let the ship be carried by the wind.
18 The violent storm continued, so on the next day they began to throw some of the ship’s cargo overboard,
19 and on the following day they threw part of the ship’s equipment overboard.
20 For many days we could not see the sun or the stars, and the wind kept on blowing very hard. We finally gave up all hope of being saved.
21 After everyone had gone a long time without food, Paul stood before them and said, “You should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete; then we would have avoided all this damage and loss.
22 But now I beg you, take courage! Not one of you will lose your life; only the ship will be lost.
23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship came to me
24 and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul! You must stand before the Emperor. And God in his goodness to you has spared the lives of all those who are sailing with you.’
25 So take courage, men! For I trust in God that it will be just as I was told.
26 But we will be driven ashore on some island.”
27 It was the fourteenth night, and we were being driven in the Mediterranean by the storm. About midnight the sailors suspected that we were getting close to land.
28 So they dropped a line with a weight tied to it and found that the water was one hundred and twenty feet deep; a little later they did the same and found that it was ninety feet deep.
29 They were afraid that the ship would go on the rocks, so they lowered four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.
30 Then the sailors tried to escape from the ship; they lowered the boat into the water and pretended that they were going to put out some anchors from the front of the ship.
31 But Paul said to the army officer and soldiers, “If the sailors don’t stay on board, you have no hope of being saved.”
32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the boat and let it go.
33 Just before dawn, Paul begged them all to eat some food: “You have been waiting for fourteen days now, and all this time you have not eaten a thing.
34 I beg you, then, eat some food; you need it in order to survive. Not even a hair of your heads will be lost.”
35 After saying this, Paul took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, broke it, and began to eat.
36 They took courage, and every one of them also ate some food.
Hope is a confident expectation for something to happen in the future.
When rooted in God, it provides motivation to live the Christian life, even in the face of anxiety and despair.
Hope is a loyal compassion of faith which helps a Christian to have peace in spite of adversity, persecution and oppression.
God’s desire for us is that we abound in hope. Romans 15:13 GWT says:
« May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. »
Are you facing the headwinds in life?
Are you asking yourself if it is worth it to hope against hope?
Yes, it is worth it, if your hope is anchored on the Creator of Heaven and earth!
In Luke 5:1-5, Peter was in the pit of hopelessness, having exhausted all his wisdom, business expertise and strength without anything to show for it.
He was about to call it quits when the Master of the universe stepped in and told him to hope for a catch of fish from the same water that had been unproductive all through the night.
One lesson from this is that God uses different methods to meet His children’s needs
Are you faced with an extreme case of despair?
Has the unexpected happened already and hopelessness is staring you in the face?
The word of God in Job 14:7 MSG is saying to you today:
« For a tree there is always hope. Chop it down and it still has a chance— its roots can put out fresh sprouts. »
No matter how hopeless you situation appears to be, if you put you hope in Jesus, He will surely turn that situation around for good in a way that is beyond human understanding.
(Colossians 1:27, 2 Kings 3:9-18).
God is our hope, salvation and peace.
Even in times of deep sorrow and despair, don’t yield to the temptation of seeking respite in drugs, strong stimulants or suicide.
God wants you to turn to Him for a situation, and you can always count on Him for consolation and encouragement.
I pray that no matter what you are passing through right now, you will not take any step that will lead to your destruction in Jesus’ Name.
Finally, hopelessness fizzles away the moment God speaks concerning a matter (Acts 27:21-25).
Are you in a hopeless situation?
Take time to seek God’s intervention, asking Him for a word for that situation.
I pray that the light of God will shine on your life and hope will arise for you today in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer focus – Father, please remember me for good; don’t let my hope in You be dashed, in Jesus’ Name.
Author – Bishop Enoch Adejare Adeboye; General Overseer of the RCCG
Edited by Naomie Joseph
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