Never Alone, Never Forsaken

 

Never Alone, Never Forsaken  The following was written by a Christian leader in Egypt: This morning, as I prayed, I was reminded of the shipwreck recorded in Acts 27. Explaining a hopeless situation, Paul wrote in verse 20, “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” The verse reflects a state of despair, tiredness and failure of human wisdom. Hope has left the scene, leaving anxious and worried men wondering if they will never make it back to the shore again. The atmosphere around that scene portrayed by Paul, and the heavy feelings felt on board that boat, are similar to the feelings many Egyptian Christians experience today. We wake each day to more taxes, skyrocketing food prices, salaries frozen or reduced, shortages of electricity and water. Tensions between Muslims and Christians are common. Any small conflict between a Christian and a Muslim can easily get out of control. People get injured; houses, small shops and churches are burned down, and people are killed. Most of the time, it seems the authorities are powerless to bring order from the chaos. Just as in Acts 27, this is a time where Egyptian Christians can see neither sun nor stars appearing for many days, and the storm continues to rage. It feels as if communication with heaven seems to be on hold as we cannot see God responding to the cries and worries of His people. But in the midst we are learning the lesson. One pastor recently said these encouraging words, “Though many things are going wrong in Egypt, the spiritual situation of the church, and the numbers of people coming to the Lord and searching for the truth, from both Christian and non-Christian backgrounds, has never been greater! It’s a time of real victory and joy for us, and we are honored to live today and see what God is doing.” God sent an angel to stand beside Paul and encourage him, assuring him that they will survive. On a different boat, in a different storm, it was Jesus himself who showed up to assure His disciples. Christians today are also blessed. We have the Holy Spirit living, not just by our side, but dwelling within us. That is the very reason of joy, victory and real hope for the followers of Jesus in Egypt! One With Them Praise God that He is in control. Even when events seem to be going way off course, God has something better in mind for His people. Praise God for glorifying Himself in Egypt right now, where testimonies show the larger number of Muslims coming to Christ. Still, times are very difficult and believers are suffering for Christ. Please stand One With Them - believers in Egypt - praying that in the midst of their current storms, they will continue to dwell in the comfort and power of our Wonderful Counselor. Let’s pray also for the new believers, that in these storms they continue to grow in their faith and the church will grow stronger.      2013.07.15

“For to us a child is born…And he will be called Wonderful Counselor.” (Isaiah 9:6)