Is there something in the Bible that can bring hope with purpose?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: Our family home burned and we’ve been unable to keep our family together as we look for adequate housing. We’re spread out among family and neighbors. As a Christian I know that the Bible says that all things work together for those who love God, but I am having a hard time seeing how that is possible. Is there something in the Bible that can bring hope with purpose? – B.O.
A: The Old Testament account of Daniel’s three Hebrew friends is a thrilling account of God’s promise never to leave or forsake His own. When these young men were thrown into the fire (see Daniel 3), they didn’t know they were going to come out unscathed. They only trusted God that whatever happened to them was going to display God’s will for their lives.
The story has been told about a lone survivor of a shipwreck who was marooned on an uninhabited island. He managed to build a hut in which he put everything he had saved from the wreck. He prayed to God for rescue, and anxiously scanned the horizon every day to signal any passing ship. One day he returned to his hut and to his horror found it in flames and all of his possessions gone. How could such a tragedy bring about any comfort? But shortly after, a ship arrived. “We saw your smoke signal and hurried here,” the captain explained. The survivor had only seen his burnt hut, but out of disaster, God worked a blessing. The shipwrecked man fell to his knees to thank God for the fire that caused his rescue.
It often takes a tragedy to open our hearts, minds, and wills to the truth of God’s promises.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
©2023 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(c)2023 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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