Smoke Signal

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited

island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he

scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he

eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood

to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But

then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his

little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had

happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger.

"God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that

was 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. It is 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 pain and suffering.

Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground

----it just may be a smoke signal that summons grace of God.