Spread Hope and Courage

Tuesday, June 9, 2020
And so we came to Rome. And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. Acts 28:15

Spread Hope and Courage

Imagine that God has given you a vision.  Imagine.  But you have no resources.  You have no partners.  You have no investors, and maybe you don’t even have anyone who believes in you enough to provide moral support, encouragement, and prayer. Not even one cheerleader. Paul was definitely an interesting character in the Bible who left us with many good words and a few good stories.  He had a vision from God, but he ended up in a sewer, in prison, where he stayed for two years. 

Have you ever been in a time of waiting on the Lord?  If you are His child, and you have not, you surely will at some point.  Paul had a vision from God but now found himself in a prison that was actually a sewer.  He was in the most deplorable situation, and interestingly enough, he is not the only one in the Bible that found themselves in a dungeon or sewer of a prison while they were waiting on God. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers after having received a vision from God as well in a dream.  He also waited years in prison before he was brought out and the vision that God had given him fulfilled. I think the dungeon prisons in the stories in the Bible may be symbolic for our benefit.  Does it not feel like we are in a dungeon or a sewer of a prison sometimes when we are waiting on God?  It can feel unbearable and miserable.  But you can rest assured that there is something going on that you cannot see – probably inside your very own heart.

Sometimes we get surprised by what feels like God plunging us into something unexpected.  Sometimes we wait for do what we want Him to do, but I have found that God rarely ever works things out the way we see them working out, and He rarely ever gives us what we want when we want it.  And this is for our own good. There is always some groundwork to be done in preparation for a big project and the things God does in our lives are big projects that require some prep work in our hearts. He has to prepare us for His blessings and visions for our lives just as He has to do with Joseph and Paul, and literally every other human He has a plan for – which is everyone of us.

If you are waiting, don’t waste the time.  Pray, study, seek the Lord, and get busy!  If for no other reason, work is a blessed distraction to the dungeon and sewer. Joseph did not sit idle and neither did Paul.  Joseph was trusted and proven responsible even in prison, and Paul wrote letters to the churches and never stopped witnessing for the Lord. Even when it feels like God is doing nothing, He may be doing great things through you. It is easy to feel despair when it seems like things will never change.  It is easy to feel forgotten when it seems like God is silent and absent, but He always has a plan and He is always at work.  After being arrested and imprisoned in a sewer, shipwrecked, bit by a snake and having to spend winter on a barbarian island, he finally reached Rome, which is what his vision from God revealed.  Even after all he suffered, when he reached Rome and met other Christians there, he thanked God and took courage. The words, Take courage, in the Bible mean to give support, encouragement, or hope to others.  Instead of living beaten down, like life can make us feel often, we can have an attitude of thankfulness and pass hope on to others.  Hope is what courage is built on.  Without hope from those who have suffered the dungeons and seen the blessings on the other side, many others would not have the faith and courage to keep going. Share your story and encourage others today.

Lara Cook