Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-04-13
CHRISTIAN EHDEAvoR.
Prayer Meeting Topic Fer the Week
Beginning April ~, 1910.

TDD8c.-GcoG cheer Ia dark GzgS--ActS
xxyii, 5s-5s. Comment b. Rev. Sherman
H Doyle, d. ..
In this story Of part Of Paul's jour
ney from caesarea TO Rome Luke has
given as a most vivid account Of q
shipwreck Starting out from Fair
Havens against the advice Of the apes
tie on account Of the stormy character
Of the sea at that time OF the year.
they advanced safely for time and
were then struck By a terrible tempest
or typhoon. in which they were tossed
about for more than two weeks For
many days they saw neither sun nor
stars, the only guides Of seamen In
the days before the compass had been
invented For fourteen days they ate
nothing The provisions were proba-
bly, soaked with water and all Tres
extinguished. and, furthermore. they
were occupied all the time with trying
to keep the large vessel aaoat All
hope was abandoned Paul absented
himself. He spent the time uDdoubt-
edly I'm prayer for himself and all on
shipboard. Then he appeared. ad-
dressed the men. telling them that he
had had a revelation from God and
that be believed God. and exhorted
them to be -of good cheer because
there would not be a life lost except
the ship. Later on they ate at Paui's
advice. PAM thanked God. blessed
the bread and ate Of IT. Then they
were all Of good cheer. aud they also
took some meat" Shortly after the
ship was wrecked upon the island Of
Malta, and not one Of the ZIG souls on
board was lost Gods promise was
fulfilled. and in answer to PaaTs pray
er He had saved all on board. Darker
DAYS could scarcely be imagined. and
the good cheer" Of Paul must have
been an inspiration to them all
In the voyage Of life there are also
dark days. sometimes darker days
than those upon starless sea. when
only the physical life is In danger.
There are dark days Of sickness, some
times lasting for years; dark days as
the result OF bereavement or financial
disaster; dark days brought about by
poverty. want and need. In addition.
there are dark spiritual days. The
soul cannot see God. Doubt and dis
trust In some way creep into the
heart. and ii seems as IL God has
deserted Us or as il there were no God
Each one mag think that his days are
the darkest Of all. but let him not 50
mistrust God. Every life has its own
trials and dark days. only we frequent
IL do not know what others endure
and suffer. But every heart knoweth
its own sorrow" and thousands have
aching, breaking hearts Of which the
world knows nothing.
The causes Of dark days are not al
ways known. Here 1t was disobe-
dience to God. who spoke through the
apostle. Had they taken Paurs advice
and remained at Fair Ravens over the
winter this shipwreck would probably
never have happened But Paurs ad-
vice was disobeyed. and the dark days
came. Many dark days are caused by
disobedience to God. Saul as king OF
Israel was most prosperous and sue
cessful In three wars against the enc
mics OF his kingdom by the presence
and help Of God he won glorious vic
tories. But In the last war he dis
obeyed God In not destroying the en-
envy and all their fiocks and herds.
God called him to account. and he
tried first to deny. then to extenuate
bis offense, but it was useless, and
darkness. indeed, came upon him po-
litically, mentally and spiritually. But
In many cases the causes of dark days
Of affection, trial. bereavement and
temptation are unknown to us. All we
can do is to trust God and "be of good
cheer" making His win our will
The source Of good cheer in dark
days is God To the disciples Christ.
who Is God. said, BE of good cheer"
And in the midst Of these dark days
Paul went to God. He believed in
God and prayed for himself and all on
board, and, getting the answer from
God, he called upon all to ''be of good
cheer" God often uses His own peo-
pie to carry good cheer to others. Do
you know any one in distress, any one
In sickness, any one bereaved, any one
passing through hard times? Pray to
God for him. Believe in God and
carry them His message of good cheer.
BIBLE HEADINGS.
Elk. ill, 10; PROV. XIV, 10; lisa. xl. Ill:
xiii, 1-3; liv, III; Xxi. Ii; Matt. xviii.
20; John xiv, 1-3; xvi, 80; Rev. vii. 9-17