The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 27:22-25, “’And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss

of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the

angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24 Saying, “Fear not, Paul; thou must

be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.”

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

told me.”’”

You must read slowly the entire 27th chapter to grasp the terror and emotion

surrounding Paul’s journey to Rome. Paul warned them (v. 10) that there would

be trouble and damage, but who listens to a preacher about ships and the sea?

But, when trouble came and they were tossed about for some two weeks, they

were then all ready to listen to the preacher who knew nothing about the sea.

“Be of good cheer” must have sounded ridiculous to the sailors and passengers.

But when Paul shared with them that God had reminded him that he would be

“brought before Caesar,” they took him a bit more seriously. “Be of good cheer,”

Paul said, “for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.”

For two weeks, none of them had eaten anything, yet they were battling the

storm. Now, Paul began to eat and so did the others. Food not only nourishes

us, it arouses our spirits. And so it was with them! But how could Paul know

all the things he told them? He had been in constant contact with the LORD!

How can we know what the LORD is doing, unless we are in continual

communication with Him? Prayer does not have to always be on our knees. We

can pray while we writing papers, doing dishes, even while reading the Bible.

The LORD will work with us as He did with Paul. We just have to maintain

Communication! Try it and see what the LORD will do.

We Love you all and pray for you always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas