Hebrews 10:23 states, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." This Greek word translated "unswervingly" was used to describe how in the midst of a tempest or storm, a ship's captain would bind or restrain the ship's wheel and rudder with ropes in order to stay on course. Failure to "hold unswervingly" would result in shipwreck. We are all in the midst of a storm, perhaps the largest and scariest storm any of us have ever experienced in terms of size and scope. This storm will test our resilience. This storm will test if we truly believe in this hope that we profess to believe in as followers of Jesus. Is this hope true, or is it just a nice sentiment we sing about with our lips, but struggle to truly believe with our hearts and minds? Is God, the one we put our hope in, faithful? Will he deliver on his promises? The answer is yes. God is faithful. God keeps his promises. God keeps the promises he has made, but God does not keep promises that he has not made. And while God never promises us a problem-free, storm-free, pain-free, sickness-free, trouble-free, death-free life, God does promise us in John 16:33 that even though we will have trouble in this world, in Jesus, we can have peace. We can take heart because Jesus has overcome this world. This is why we need to hold "unswervingly" on to our hope in the midst of the storm! Hebrews 10:24-25 gives us 3 strategies for holding on to hope in the midst of the storm. The first is to not give up meeting together. We need each other if we're going to hold "unswervingly". We cannot afford to abandon one another, desert one another, leave each other in a lurch or in dire circumstances. We need to be like the Giant Sequoias who don't stand alone, but stand together against the storms. Their roots are intertwined with one another, standing together as one. Second we need to encourage one another. We need to comfort and console one another. Third we need to spur one another on. We need to provoke, incite, stimulate, irritate one another on toward love and good deeds. Both encouraging and spurring is best done in relationship with one another, in connection with one another. We are not complete strangers, we are brothers and sisters in this together. We need to come alongside one another.So the question in the midst of this current storm, is how do we maintain social distance, without creating relational distance, so that we can meet together, encourage one another, and spur one another on as we hold unswervingly on to the hope we profess? Well, we're going to have to get really creative aren't we? Here are a few suggestions. First, take advantage of technology to make it face to face. Use Zoom. Use Google Hangouts. Use FaceTime or Facebook Live. Share stories. Share pictures. Share prayer requests. Share song lyrics. Share Scripture. Second, take care of one another. See a need, meet a need. As part of this church body, if you need help, ask for help. We are all in this together. As a family, we're not going to let our brothers and sisters go without. Third, pray for one another. Praying for others, opens my heart to others. It gets me outwardly focused instead of inwardly focused. Prayer empowers me to be selfless rather than selfish. So pray for one another. We can get through this storm if we do so together. Nobody's faith needs to be shipwrecked. We can all hold unswervingly on to hope through this storm. Let's lean into our relationships with one another and weather this storm!

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