Worst Times, Best Prayer

For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ [Acts 27.23-24]

You know what is significant about these verses in the Book of Acts?

Paul was praying - he was communing with God - in the midst of a terrible storm!

I think myself not alone in the fact that, many times, when my life is upside down, I leave off prayer. Oh I may think about God a lot, but when it gets tough, sometimes my "communion with God" turns to "complaining to God." My faithfulness turns to fear. My confidence gets lost in confusion. I resign myself to my circumstances...

But is that what God wants? I think not. I think, like Paul, we need to be in close communion with God even in the most difficult of times. We need to be keenly listening even for His heartbeat - above all the noise of our storm. There is no confusion or fear in His presence. In His presence, there is not even a need for complaint - for in His presence, there is only joy.

It would seem, from Paul's example here, that in our worst times we can engage in our best prayer.

Think about it, Paul could easily have desperately complained to God in his hopeless situation and said, "I thought You said I was going to Rome?" But we have no such record. In fact, so spiritually deep and intense was Paul's prayer that an angel appeared and spoke to him - in the midst of a storm!

Just how bad was the storm? Bad enough that the following statement was made:

The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. [Acts 27.20]

Just because "all hope is gone" does not mean God cannot or will not intervene. We potentially enter our best time of testimony when we encounter our worst storm! The absolute worst circumstance is the absolute best opportunity to rely on our God. And, to rely on God, we must remain in close communion with Him, again - even in the midst of our worst storm.

Here's the real kicker: Paul's confidence in remaining in communion with God not only affected his life but the lives of all those in the storm with him! And here's an even more profound thought - the decision that led to them all to being in the storm was not Paul's fault. But that did not deter Paul's confidence in communing with God!

In the worst imaginable set of circumstances, Paul remained in fellowship with God. I would say any time an angel shows up, things are spiritually "good!" In Paul's worst times, indeed, he was engaging in his best prayer.

Father, help me to see the storms in my life as nothing but opportunities for me to more intently engage You.