Psalm 43-45 Acts 27:27-44

“’Now I beg you to eat something. You need it to stay alive. None of you will lose even one hair off your heads.’ After he said this, Paul took some bread and thanked God for it before all of them. He broke off a piece and began eating.” (Acts 27:34-25 NCV)

The storm had raged for two weeks as the tiny ship was tossed by the wind and waves on the Adriatic Sea. Paul kept telling them to cool their jets because God was in control, but the sailors feared for their lives and worked themselves to the point of exhaustion. They didn’t eat for fourteen days. Finally, Paul got them together and said, “Hey guys! I got some great bread here. He started breaking it and they ate. And they felt better. Then, they made final plans to head to shore. The ship still broke up, but everyone got to shore safely.

Sometimes life happens and you get so caught up in the traumas of the time that you forget about basic needs. You have trouble sleeping. (I’m not talking about actual insomnia here. That’s a much different medical problem) You toss and turn at night because of the worry. You don’t hydrate which makes it harder for you to recover from the issues. You forget to eat. Sometimes it gets so bad, especially in times of grief, that you need someone to take you aside and make sure you eat something and get some water in you. When you see others going through those times, you may need to be the person to help people meet their basic needs. People who are going through those times, whether it’s shock, trauma, grief, or something else that makes them focus on the issue at hand and forget basic needs aren’t weak. They aren’t foolish. They aren’t dumb. They’re human. People shut everything else down to deal with their issues and everything else is unimportant at the time. Our job isn’t to criticize or ridicule, our job is to break the bread, pour the water, or turn down the sheets to help people in their times of trouble. Show some compassion to people in their time of need.

Lord, there are people going through tough times right now. Help me to let them know that I’m thinking and praying about them and also let them know that I’m available to help or comfort them. Give me a heart of compassion in our world today.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved