by susie shellenberger The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed fervently for God to rescue him. For days he scanned the horizon for help, but his situation seemed hopeless. He eventually managed to build a small shelter out of driftwood and leaves to protect him from the wind and rain and to protect the few possessions he had Several weeks passed, and one day while he was scavenging for food, he arrived back at the lean-to only to discover it in flames. He fell on the sand and sobbed while watching the smoke rise to the sky. The worst had now happened; he had lost what little he had. Desperate and filled with anger, he shook his fist and screamed toward heaven, "God! How could you do this to me? I have no hope. Why won't you help me? Now I'll surely die." Exhausted, he fell asleep heavy with grief. Early in the next morning, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. He began waving his arms frantically, and when he saw the ship lower a small boat, he knew it had come to rescue him. When he was finally safe and aboard the ship, he asked his rescuers, "How in the world did you know I was here?" "We saw your smoke signal," they said. It's easy to get discouraged when things don't go our way, isn't it? We often feel we're at the end of our rope and without hope. But God has promise never to abandon us. Can you trust the creator of the universe to solve your problems? When things look the worst, God is often at work behind the scenes. All we need to do is trust him. For all the negative things we say to ourselves, God has a positive response: We say, "It's impossible." God says, " All things are possible." We say, "I'm too tired." God says, "I will give you rest." We say, "No one really loves me." God says, "I love you." We say, "I can't go on." God says, "My grace is sufficient." We say, "I can't figure things out." God says, "I will direct your steps."  
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