Acts 27
ENCOURAGEMENT

There were 276 people on the ship. Among them were three Christians: Paul, Luke and Aristarchus. Most of the people on the boat, the soldiers, the sailors, the prisoners and the slaves, were not Christian. So when they got caught in the storm, most of the people on the boat were worried and in constant suspense as to what would happen to them. Their feelings showed in the fact that they didn’t eat anything during that time. They were stressed and there was no release from their anxiety. No doubt they were all cold, wet and exhausted. And the darkness of a storm away from the hopefulness of direct sunlight is proven to depress the emotions.

In the midst of these circumstances, Paul stood up among the people on the boat and by the strength he received from his Lord, he encouraged all the people. He gave thanks to God in those depressing circumstances and shared some food. You can almost feel the tension breaking as you read the narrative.

Often we, like Paul, are one Christian among so many unbelievers. But like Paul, we can be a real encouragement to the people around us in the strength of the Lord.

May we be a source of godly encouragement to all those around us this week.

With love in our Lord,
Robert