Memorise: When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. Job 22:29
Read: Acts 27:13-36 (KJV)
13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.
16 And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;
19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.
20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.
23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
26 Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.
27 But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
Bible in one year:
Deuteronomy 2-3,
Ezekiel 6:1-7:4,
Hymnal:
Sing hymn 7
Message:
Hope is a confident expectation of 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 companion 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 says:
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Are you facing the headwinds of 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 form 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. In 2nd Kings 8:1-2, the Lord told a woman to relocate because the city she lived in was about to face seven years of famine, while Peter was asked to make another effort in the same river where he has failed, and both cases yielded good results. 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 is saying to you today:
“For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.”
No matter how hopeless your situation appears to be, if you put your hope in Jesus, He will surely turn that situation around for good in a way that is beyond human understanding (Colossians 1:27, 2nd 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 alcohol, drugs, strong stimulants or suicide. God wants you to turn to Him for a solution, 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 Point
Father, please remember me for good; don’t let my hope in You be dashed, in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Churches in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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