SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO

Designed to encourage, I want to address those who are discouraged, depressed, disallusioned, defeated or sad. You may be unhappy, dissatisfied with your state of living or your current circumstances. You may even feel God is not interested in helping you, or making things right so you can be happy. You make be feeling like you are at the end of your rope or at your wits end as they say. These feelings may be all too real for you and you see no way out. On a spiritual plane, you may have yielded to doubt, question-

ing God's plan, purpose, love, forgiveess and even your salvation. You wonder about His goodness, His care about you and His desire to meet you at the point of your needs and concerns. You ask, "where is God in all this?

You are not alone! Many people, including Christians experience these same struggles. Counseling centers keep busy with folks like you and me seeking help, books line the shelves of bookstores ranging from Biblical truth to self-help principles all aimed at helping people cope with their life and present circumstances. People talk about their emotional pain, their relational hurts, severe anxieties, worry and non-ending frustrations. Some of these things are self-caused, that is, we bring them on ourselves, and others come from sources outside of ourselves. In either case, the struggles are real and painful.

I would like to turn our attention to the Apostle Paul. He certainly had significant cause to be distressed, beat-up emotionally and even spiritually defeated to the point of giving up. Paul was regarded as a trouble-maker wherever he went and whatever he did. He experienced the wrath of fellow Jews, as well as non-Jews. Here are a few examples:

1) Anger and resentment expressed toward Paul in Asia was started by a silversmith named Demetrius. He gathered many tradesmen together, blaming Paul for the disruption they had in their business of crafting and selling idols. ". . .this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is a danger. . .in this trade of ours and it could come into disrepute. . . ." (Acts 19:23-30) There was great confusion in the city and a riot ensued.

2) When Paul was in Thessalonica preaching the Gospel of Jesus - "But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in uproar." They looked for Paul and in the process, "they attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowds." (Acts 17:5-6)

3) ". . .they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. . .the crowd joined in attacking them, and the rulers tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods." (Acts 16:19-24)

4) Later, Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and sent to Rome. He had to appear before several Roman Government officials, Festus, Felix and Agrippa to defend himself in response to the accusations made against him. Paul was then sent as a prisoner to face the Emperor of Rome.

5) Additionally, Paul gives his own testimony saying, "Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea,. . .in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. . . ." (II Corinthians 11:24-27)

So, we are not alone in our distress, disappointments, and feelings of despair and unhappiness. The Apostle Paul had every reason to have experienced such feelings as well. This question is for all of us: When considering our own life, state of affairs, feelings of discouragement, depression, hopelessness, un-happiness and dissatisfaction or defeat, have we had to endure even one day of similar things that Paul experienced? When it is all "boiled down", what do we have to be depressed about? When the Psalmist was in deep struggle, he expressed feelings of inner turmoil and discouragement. But note his words here, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again Praise Him, my salvation and my God." (Psalm 42:11) His response to being downcast can be our response! Nehemiah told the people of his day. . ."for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10) Instead of focusing on the negative, we need to focus on the LORD and receive the strength He gives in response to our joy in Him!

Let's return to the Apostle Paul and glean lessons from him. We now encounter him on that ship. . . . in the custody of the Roman Government on a journey to Rome to appear before Caesar. There were several storms that they experienced on this journey; one was horrific! "But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. . . .Since we were violently storm-tossed. . .all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned." (Acts 27:14-20)

1) In the midst of this terrific storm, PLANS ARE MADE TO ABANDON SHIP. Darkness prevailed (verse 20), hope was gone (verse 20), and they all prayed for the daylight to arrive. (verse 29) Does this perhaps describe you and the situation you are in? Stay with me now and be encouraged.

2) We focus now on the PROMISE OF GOD! Paul was in touch with the Living God and God gave him divine guidance! Take note, these promises came to God's man; not to the sailors or to the Roman Officers. If you want divine guidance and God's promises, be God's person and be in the will of God! Paul communicates with the ship's crew and officers. I have to chuckle at this point, for Paul basically said to them, "I Told You So!" He said, "You should have listened to me." (Acts 27:21) "Yet now I urge you to take heart (be encouraged), for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship." (Acts 27:22) A longer quote from this Scripture passage is appropriate here. "For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and He said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. . .And behold God has granted you and all those who sail with you.' So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told." (Acts 27:23-25) Here is the Message of CHEER (verse 22), the Message of LIFE (verse 22), the Message of ASSURANCE (verses 23-25), and the Message of SALVATION. (verse 31) You see, some were in panic mode. "And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, they had lowered the ship's lifeboat into the sea. . . ." (Acts 27:30) Sometimes, we too think escaping from our circumstances is the answer, that escape is our best option. Not always the case; in fact, more often than not, escape is NOT our best option. Paul said to the Centurion (Officer in Charge) and to the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved." (Acts 27:31) "Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's lifeboat and let it go." (Acts 27:32) Instead of escaping from the ship, they escaped the lifeboat. Instead of abandoning God's Word, they abandoned the way THEY ASSUMED was the means for safety.

3) Now God brings PROVISIONS ABUNDANT! "The day was about to dawn." (Acts 27:33) If we trust and obey God and stay in His will, He does bring the dawning of a new day. A song by the Gaithers is fitting here for our encouragement; here are the lyrics to "Joy Comes In The Morning".

"If you've knelt beside the rubble of an aching broken heart, When the things you gave your life to fell apart, You're not the first to be acquainted with sorrow, grief or pain, But the Master promised sunshine after rain.

To invest your seed of trust in God, in mountains you can't move, You have risked your life on things you cannot prove. But to give the things you cannot keep for what you cannot lose, Now that's the way to find the joy God has for you.

Chorus: So, hold on, my child, Joy comes in the morning, Weeping only lasts for the night, Hold on, my child, Joy comes in the morning. The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight."

4) FASTING WAS ENDED. (Acts 27:33-34) "Paul urged them all to take some food.." "You have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing" for fourteen days. (Acts 27:33-34) For food "will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you." (Verse 34) And when Paul said these things, "he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 276 were on this ship." (Acts 27:37)

5) THEN DAYLIGHT ACTUALLY CAME. (Acts 27:39) They saw a bay with a beach and they headed for the beach. "And so it was that all were brought safely to land." (Acts 27:44)

HOLD ON - STAY IN THE SHIP - JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!

Too many of us look for a way out rather than looking to Jesus; a disaster in the making! A long time ago, I was driving from north Seattle to south of the city. As many of us know, the I-5 freeway can be packed with stop and go cars, long backups, frustrated drivers and time consuming travel. I ended up in the midst of that very kind of travel tie-up! So, instead of staying with my Plan A, I decided on Plan B. At the next exit, I cut off to go the back road to my destination. What a mistake! I encountered more severe traffic, only now I was on a two-lane road instead of the multi-lane freeway. Perhaps, other drivers, out of their frustration, took the exit to try avoiding the heavy traffic. Many hours later, I finally reached my destination, way later than if I had stayed with Plan A.

In life's travels, sometimes God may lead us to Plan B, but if we are living and walking in His will, most often Plan A is where we ought to stay, UNLESS HE TELLS US OTHERWISE!

STAY IN THE SHIP! When we think we have lost it all and have no hope; when the way gets too tough and the ride is too rough; when we are not sure enough, it is time then to realize our source, comfort, hope, peace, assurance, joy and happiness are ALL IN JESUS, IN HIS PROMISES AND IN HIS PROVISIONS, and there is no reason for abandonment, distress or defeat! LET'S STAY IN THE SHIP!

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