He Just Held the Rope

Tornado sirens woke me up early this morning.

It was still dark outside. I couldn’t see much. Just flashes of lightning lighting up the trees and sky for a second at a time. The wind was loud. The rain was heavy. I stood there, coffee in hand, watching the weather updates roll in. It looked like it was going to be one warning after another.

Some Thursdays start that way.
Unsettled. Noisy. Full of things outside your control.

And then other days? Quiet. Predictable. Ordinary.

Life swings between those two extremes more often than we realize. But no matter how the day begins, whether it's filled with storm warnings or just another Thursday, we’re still called to show up. To live faithfully. To do the next right thing, even if no one sees it.

That’s what made me think of a man in the book of Acts who doesn’t even have a name.

In Acts 9, not long after Saul (who we later know as Paul) had a life-altering encounter with Jesus, his bold preaching quickly made him a target. People plotted to kill him. The response?

“But his disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.”
—Acts 9:25 (NKJV)

Just like that, he escaped. Because someone held the rope.

No names. No applause. Just quiet obedience.

And that simple act made a difference that echoed through history.

Because most of us won’t be Paul. We won’t write Scripture or lead revivals. But we might be the person who holds the rope for someone else.

We pray. We serve. We stay steady behind the scenes. We do the thing that helps someone else keep going.

Holding the Rope Still Matters

We don’t always get a platform. We don’t always get noticed. But God notices. That nameless man in Acts 9 helped launch one of the greatest ministries in history, and all he did was show up in the dark and hold the rope.

Your small obedience might be part of something much bigger.

Maybe your calling today is simply to keep showing up.
Send the text.
Pray for that person again.
Show up at the hospital or the kitchen table.
Keep holding the rope, even when the wind is blowing.

Faithfulness isn’t about being seen. It’s about being obedient. And sometimes, the most important thing you’ll ever do is just hold the rope.

A Prayer for Today

Lord, thank You for using even the quiet moments for Your purpose. Help me to be faithful in the work no one sees. Give me the strength to hold the rope for others and the trust to know someone’s holding the rope for me when I need it most. Whether today brings storms or silence, help me to walk with You in it all.
Amen.