Have courage

‘But now I beg you, take courage! Not one of you will lose your life; only the ship will be lost. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship came to me 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!’ So take courage, men! For I trust in God that it will be just as I was told.’ (verses 22-25)

Read Acts 27:9-26

Imagine that you are one of the crew or a passenger on that boat sailing for Rome. The weather is against you, and your hope of living is being battered by the wind and the waves. Any sailor knows how small and insignificant a person is against such forces of nature.

But Paul stands up to give you courage. He has been told by an angel of God that your life and the life of everyone on board will be saved. Imagine this man, a prisoner, granting life and freedom to you! He says that you will be saved because his God has decided to save you!

Sometimes you may feel that you are being tossed about in the chaos and turmoil that can occur in life. But Jesus calls to you from the cross at the centre of our ship: ‘Have courage! Even if you die, you will live with me! My Father has given you to me, and I will take you with me to stand before my Father in heaven. No-one can snatch you out of my hands!’ By trusting in Jesus, you can ride out the storms that you encounter in life.

Dear Jesus, give me courage to trust in you, even when I think all is lost. Amen.

by Stuart Kleinig, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)

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