Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Psalm 43:5
This story was used to supplement the study of Psalms 42 and 43.
Justin Peters was the brightest star the Intentional Mission Society had ever trained. He was loved by his peers, professors, and the churches he served while training. Great rejoicing attended his commissioning service. After graduation, he and his team headed off to the Amazon Basin. Arriving at Manaus, Brazil they began their journey down the Negra branch of the Amazon River. Their goal was a recently discovered, unreached tribe that controlled hundreds of square miles of jungle. They were known only as the Shootu.
One by one his teammates succumbed to the dangers of the Amazon. Disease, Indian attack, insects, and predators reduced his all-star mission cohort. One night while resting he was kidnapped by a drug cartel operating in the same territory as the tribe he was tasked to reach with the gospel. He was stripped of all his provisions, thrown into an underground cellar, and given one meal a day. His captors mocked him and abused him at every turn.
He never reached the Shootu. The last entry in his journal read, “Where is God? Why has he forgotten me?”
Can God be trusted in the dark times of life?
If you could write Justin a letter how would you encourage him?
The Bible Bistro 