The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small uninhabited
island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day
he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted,
he eventually managed to build a small hut out of drift wood
to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find
his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the
worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with
disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, “God! How could you do this
to me?”
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching
the island! It had come to rescue him! “How did you know
I was here?” asked the weary man of his rescuers. “We saw your smoke
signal,” they replied.
The moral of this story: It’s easy to get discouraged when things
are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in
our lives … even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember the
next time your hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a
smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
