While many people do not mind asking God for help in difficult times, it is completely against our natural human nature to give thanks to Him while we weather the storms of life. Some even have a tendency to blame God.
As we read the Holy Bible, we find in various places that God tells us to give thanks in tribulation. We also find that many people, with the help of God did exactly that.
One such case was the Apostle Paul who had sent to Rome as a prisoner. Back then, the swiftest way was by ship.
In Acts 27 we read that in the earlier part of the journey, he and other prisoners were in the Lycian city of Myra. While there, the centurion in charge found a vessel that was to sail to Italy and made arrangements for the prisoners to be on board. However, Paul felt led of God to tell them it was not a good time to sail. His warning went unheeded.
Sure enough, they soon found themselves in a powerful storm. It got so bad that neither the sun or stars were seen for many days. Impending doom gripped the more than 250 people on board as the vessel was violently tossed about in the wind and waves.
However, Paul was in touch with God, who spoke to him through an angel after about fourteen days.
With stormy weather still tossing the ship, “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.
“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. 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.”
If you read the account, you will see that the storm was not over, but Paul still found the faith to thank God for a meal and partake thereof.
The foundational reason for this is that Paul had made a total commitment to the Christ he at one time had vehemently persecuted, and God in His loving mercy redeemed Paul from his sin and sin nature.
The account of the shipwreck in Acts 27 potently illustrates that we can weather the storms of life by having Christ in our vessel, and by giving thanks to Him.
If you have not already done so, take time now to make Christ the Captain of your life. And though it is very difficult to do in troubled times, offer unto to God the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
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"O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates and thy gates of rubies, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD, and great shall be the peace of thy children." --- Isaiah 54:11-13
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