As a Christian, have you ever felt the isolation and the darkness spoken of in this Psalm, an isolation resulting from sin?

Sin separates us from God and from our fellow man. It leaves us feeling alone. There may be plenty of people around; no shortage of friends, yet no one sees the inner war that rages inside.

Picture if you will a room where twelve men sat together; a small pocket of unparalleled glory hanging over the precipice of the “hour of darkness” that lay ahead. Jesus tells his disciples, “I am the vine, you are the branches. The one abiding in me, and I in him, this one bears much fruit, for apart from me you are not able to do anything.” (John 15:5) That sounds like a ridiculous thing to say. If you quoted that to a non-Christian, they would say “That’s absurd. I don’t even believe in God, and I do plenty of good things every day.

The imprisonment of the Apostle Paul was a big blow to the early church. Many may have thought it was game over. The great evangelist, the beloved Apostle to the Gentiles, the lynch pin of the early Gentile Church is now in a Roman dungeon awaiting trial. All is lost!

Have you ever been praying for God to convert someone? Maybe a friend or a family member? Have you given up praying for them and witnessing to them because you think they will never repent? John 13 reminds us of the love that Jesus had for his disciples.

Storms are something we are very familiar with in our land. They are a regular occurrence every year sweeping in and battering our island. Storms are inevitable, not just meteorological ones but the storms we face in our Christian walk. Our circumstances are like the weather in Ireland, very changeable. Maybe you are in the midst of a storm right now.