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 nineteen years of 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 fourteen-week-old 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 and released it in 1994, and the 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:

Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. (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.

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 may 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 that the storms of life serve to prove how secure we are when anchored to You by faith. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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