They were experiencing a long
night of the soul. God's touch seemed to vanish.
It was 1992. A father had died, health problems were
rampant, and he was burned out after 19 years pastoring. His church was entering
the first stages of a split.
Summer arrived and his wife experienced her third
miscarriage. He wept as he held the 14 week fetus in his hand. During a six
month sabbatical, he and his wife grieved and prayed. And he began to play the
piano again.
Then it came-a song in the pain. Lawrence Chewning
entitled it, "The Anchor Holds." Later his friend Ray Boltz contacted him
requesting permission to record it. Ray reworked the lyrics, released it in
1994, and response was overwhelming.
The chorus tells the story: The anchor holds though
the ship is battered. The anchor holds though the sails are torn. I have fallen
on my knees as I faced the raging seas. The anchor holds in spite of the storm.
Anchors are important; so is their weight and what
they anchor to. Anchoring to a dock allows passengers to exit without falling
into the water. Heavy anchors keep fishing vessels stationary long enough to
catch fish.
What we anchor our lives to is equally important. The
writer offers a good suggestion; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today
and forever (Hebrews 13:8 NIV).
I've faced more storms than I care to recount, but my
anchor of faith holds. God rides the storms with me as Jesus did with the
disciples (Matthew 8:23).
Storms of change, tragedy, disillusionment,
depression, financial meltdown, loss, and turmoil come, but I'm at peace-the
anchor holds. It's secured to an immovable Rock who knows all, controls all,
sees all and loves me unconditionally.
My ship may bruise and the winds tear the sails. It
may even rub up against a few rocks, but I'll never be blown beyond God's
perimeter or sink beneath his reach. Nor will you.
When storms test your anchor, remember it's anchored
to an all powerful unchangeable God.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, remind us the storms of life serve
to prove how secure we are when anchored to You by faith.
Martin Wiles
mandmwiles@homesc.com
Harleyville, South Carolina, USA
www.morningliteministry.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.