I Believe God

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me
Acts 27:25

I can imagine being on that ship with the apostle Paul in the sea that night as the winds and waves crashed against the vessel. Can you imagine the fear on the faces of each of the men on the ship? Try to imagine how you would have felt if you had been on board that night. Imagine the darkness that would have encompassed you on every side. Imagine the water as it rolled over the sides of the ship. Think about the rain as it poured out of the sky. It was coming down in sheets so fast that it is nearly impossible to get your breath. Now, take these visuals and begin to think about the fear that would have gripped your heart. This is what real terror is like. It is knowing that you have no help and no signs of hope.

If you were on the ship that night, you would have seen these frightened men. You would have also seen a sight that night which far surpassed all the other sights. You could have looked over that night to the side of the craft and seen an aged man, the apostle Paul. As you stare into his face, you notice something different. You notice that he doesn’t look fearful. In fact, he doesn’t even look worried. As you stare deep into his eyes you see, peace. In fact, the apostle was so peaceful that the Bible says he yelled out to the other men, “Fear not”. What?! How can this be? How could there be two reactions to the same problem. Both sides were going through a storm. Both sides were being tossed to and fro. What has happened to make the difference between fear on one side and peace on the other? What could have caused such a stark difference? The answer can be summed up in three words, “I believe God”.

Paul had been given a promise by the angel of the Lord that he was going to make it to the other side. God had told Paul that he would make it to Rome and stand before the Caesar. He had heard from the heavens that he was going to make it through. He knew he was not going down for the count because he believed God. He knew that there was not a storm powerful enough to take him down because he believed God. He was unwilling to allow his circumstance to dictate how he was going to interpret his future. He refused to allow the pessimistic attitude of his fellow shipmen to bring him down because he believed God. He had been given a promise and he was going to believe God.

I was giving this thought on the radio the other day when an older lady called the church office. She gave me her story and shared with me how much this thought had helped her. She said it wasn’t the fact that this was a new thought I had presented, but she just needed to be reminded of the fact that she needed to believe God.

My friend, I believe this is probably the same situation many of us are in. The fact that we need to believe God over the sayings and comments of the world is no new thought. It has been preached ever since the apostle Paul said it under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Even that night on the sea, those sailors had probably heard it numerous times throughout their lives. They didn’t need to learn that thought, they just needed to be reminded of it just like we need to be reminded of it. Friend, this isn’t a thought you haven’t already heard hundreds of times, but let me say it again, “I believe God”. When the world says no and God says yes, “I believe God”. When the doctor says death and God says life, “I believe God”. When the banks turn their heads, “I believe God”. When all hope is gone, I believe God”. When the world says it is over, God will have the last word. “I believe God”.