Weekly Refuel — Hold On Help is on the Way

I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalms 40:1-2 (NIV)

I read with so much sadness the story of two NFL players and a friend who apparently lost their lives after their fishing boat capsized off the shores of Tampa, FL several weeks ago. One of four men who went on the fishing trip survived by holding on to the capsized boat for some 48 hours in frigid 63-degree waters. He was the only one who survived. According to his report the other three men lost hope.

The question immediately comes to mind, “Why would they not stay close to the capsized boat, the only thing floating?” The lone survivor reports that one of the men “freaked out” as the night wore on and hypothermia began setting in. He took off his life vest and floated away. The other started getting unruly before taking off his life vest and diving under the boat. The last thought he saw land, took off his life vest because it was too tight, and tried to swim. All who left the boat perished.

The bottom line here is it appears three out of the four men on the boat panicked. After hours of their help not arriving, they lost all hope. There are many Christians in a similar situation. Things are not going well and despite our prayers and faithfulness, our help has not come. The more time that elapses, the more the sense of hopelessness increases. That is when the decision is made to do something on our own (Psalms 3:5). For some, it is returning to a sinful lifestyle that had them sinking in the first place. For others, it is making a call that will cause them to drift into more dangerous waters. For others, it is just the complete loss of desire because they are convinced that help won’t arrive in time.

We must be like the lone survivor in this unfortunate scenario. No matter how tough times get, we must continue to hold on (Isaiah 40:31). No matter how bleak the scenario may seem, we have to fight through the paralyzing affects of our condition, battle fear and doubt while exercising our faith (Psalms 23:4). We can never lose hope (repeat that three times), because we are indwelled by hope (1 Timothy 4:9-10). Our God is that capsized boats, always with us even when it seems all odds are against us. The Holy Spirit is our life vest, ever-present to lift us up in times of trouble (Psalms 46:1). But we cannot give up. We must always believe by faith that our rescue is on the way (Psalms 121:1-2).

Be Blessed, Be Thankful, and Hold On,

Pastor Marvin R. Wamble

Shiloh Community UMC

Don’t forget to tune into the “Shiloh Hour of Pray Power on PrayLive each Sunday night from 10-11 p.m. by calling 443-524-9880 or going to www.praylive.com

Also, First Lady Anita Wamble leads prayer on PrayLive each Sunday night from 9-10 p.m.