Take Courage!

No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. [Acts 27.21]

My wife would say this sounds just like me. And, I think it does too.

For whatever reason, Paul was compelled to point out that he saw this coming and that it could have been entirely avoided. (I can only imagine the satisfaction Paul felt in saying this.)

But there is something else Paul did that is amazing and noteworthy:

But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. 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.’ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island.” [Acts 27.22-26]

After what (I imagine) was a very satisfying "I told you so" by Paul, he went on to offer incredible encouragement to everyone involved in the dangerous situation, "Take courage!"

I have often heard it said, "If you have nothing good to say, then say nothing at all." Paul certainly had something good to say here! "Take courage!" Paul was on a mission to Rome that he knew that he knew was the work of the Holy Spirit and the will of God.

We must remember that prior to this "I told you so - but take courage!" moment, verse 20 says, "all hope was lost."

There are a lot of people in the world right now that truly believe all hope is lost. But they may or may not be aware of who is onboard with them! I AM! EVERY BELEIVER IS! And, because of that, we can say, "Take courage!" because we know how this thing plays out! Yes, it will be rough, but, in the end Jesus and His bride will be untied for eternity!

There are people who need to hear this message TODAY!

Father, help me to be sensitive to whom I encounter today and every day who need to hear the words, "Take courage!"