SOME may be ready to remark when they see the title of this article that there is a glaring incongruity in counselling to cheerfulness when such dark clouds are hanging over the land. Our answer to such is that on one occasion at any rate they were uttered when there was very little to cheer if outward circumstances were to be taken into consideration. Those to whom these words were addressed on that occasion had passed through the shattering experience of a sea-storm of such a nature that hardened seamen were preparing themselves for the worst—a watery grave in a tempestuous sea. The Apostle Paul was on his way to Rome to appear before Caesar and the ship that was to take him was caught in the grip of a tempestuous wind. The description of the behaviour of the ship and the efforts made to keep her afloat is one of the most graphic descriptive pieces of writing we have in literature. When neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on the passengers all hope that they should be saved was gone. At this critical moment the Apostle stood forth in their midst and said: “Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you but of the ship” (Acts, xxvii. 21, 22). Was there ever such incongruity between circumstances and words. Yet may there not be circumstances beyond man’s ken which, if known, would remove the apparent incongruity and give to the words a meaning filling them with the very cheer the despondent passengers were in need of. In the above circumstances there was such a situation, unseen to the passengers, but revealed to the Apostle. “There stood by me this night,” he tells them, “the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar; and, lo, God hath given thee all them who sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” Euroclydon might tear the sails to tatters, the sea might roar, sun and stars might be darkened and all hope of seeing land might be gone but God had a purpose for one man in that ship and roaring tempest and raging sea were to be subservient to the divine purpose that Paul must appear before Caesar and likely there is much more in that must than we in our half-blind way of looking at things see. The words of cheer, therefore, were supported by a divine purpose which altered everything—the sea, the sky, the sun and stars and the fate of those who were in that ship though her timbers were at length to be torn asunder. Paul’s outlook was due to the consciousness of this divine purpose and his full anticipation of its fulfilment. The counsel to cheerfulness was not mistimed neither was it out of place. With a hope based on such a foundation it is no wonder the Apostle said: “Be of good cheer.”
It is significant that counsels to good cheer were often on the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ. At this stage it may be convenient to point out that there are two words in the original which are translated “good cheer.” The one used by the Apostle in Acts, xxvii. 36, means “to be of a cheerful mind” whereas the word used by our Lord brings out more the idea “to be of good courage.” We now turn to the passages in the Gospels where these counsels are recorded. 1. To the man sick of the palsy these gracious words were addressed: “Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee” (Matt. ix. 2). What encouraging words to hear from the lips of Him who has been appointed Judge of the whole earth! 2. When Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the sea, “they were troubled” but He calmed their fears by saying: “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid” (Matt. xiv. 27; Mark, vi. 50). These words instilled courage into their troubled hearts. 3. In His farewell words to His disciples the Lord after warning them of the tribulations they were to meet with in the world encouraged them by saying: “But be of good cheer: I have overcome the world” (John, xvi. 33). In all these cases where courage was needed it was supplied from a divine source and, after all, this is not only the best kind of courage but is based on an unshakable foundation.
We see from a study of the counsel of the Apostle and those of the Lord Jesus Christ that the attitude of mind in the face of trials inculcated is one based on a divine source. It is not an attitude resting upon an uncertain, shift, sandy foundation but is based on an unshakable foundation.
The cheerfulness counselled is not to be confused with the levity which the world too often regards as cheerfulness. The cheerfulness of mind inculcated in the foregoing passages is quite compatible with gravity and sobriety set before believers in Scripture. Cheerfulness of mind as set before us in the above passages may be and is consistent with gravity and sobriety. They are contraries, it is true, but not contradictory. With levity, it is otherwise, it is inconsistent with Scriptural gravity. By nature some are of a more cheerful disposition than others but the cheerfulness counselled in the above passages comes from a divine source. And as cheerfulness is to be distinguished from levity so gloom is to be distinguished from gravity. Constitutionally some men are of a gloomy disposition and their presence in a company is like the experience of one passing into the ice region on the ocean. It is depressing and unhealthy. We should endeavour to have a correct outlook in these matters lest we dishonour the Holy Spirit who creates these heavenly dispositions of cheerfulness and gravity in the hearts of His people. We live in days when this gracious work of the Spirit is much needed as ballast to such frail creatures tossed hither and thither by the boisterous and restless waves of circumstance. It is a beautiful and encouraging sight to see a ship riding successfully a tempestuous sea it is a still more beautiful and encouraging sight to see the Christian battling cheerfully with the threatening waves of circumstances of an overwhelming kind and yet not be overcome. They may well have as their song at the end of the day:
But yet the Lord, that is on high,
Is more of might by far
Than noise of many waters is
Or great sea billows are.
—Metrical Psalms, xciii. 4.