An elderly believer had recently passed away in his eastern coastal town. Fishing had been his life and his love. He owned an older fishing vessel that he would anchor out in the deeper waters so the tides, storms and waves didn’t wear the underbelly thin against the stones. But now he was gone and his boat remained afloat out in the water. No one wanted to bother it for a while as it reminded them of their dear friend and brother.
At last, a former neighbor said it should be brought to the marina and sold while it was still sea worthy. As they went to retrieve it, the anchor would not lift. Divers went down to see what it was caught on, only to find that the massive seabed rocks had shifted entrapping the anchor between them. There was no way to save the anchor; it was forever going to be tucked snugly beneath the rocks. How like his life!
“For in the time of trouble He shall hide us in His pavilion, in the secret of His tabernacle He shall hide us and set us upon a rock, that we can offer up sacrifices of joy and sing praises unto our God, because our heads are lifted up above our enemies, and we are anchored in the Lord.” (Psalm 27:5)
We cannot overstate the power of being secure and safe in Christ. Rooted in Him gives us peace as the tides of change try to dislodge us. God promises to “hold our heads up;” He will not permit His children to be overtaken. And just as the fisherman’s boat stood strong until it was “taken home,” we too, will be unmoved by this world’s storms until such time as He calls us Upward.
“Christ the sure and steady anchor in the fury of the storm.
When the winds of doubt blow through me and my sails have all been torn,
In the suffering, in the sorrow, when my sinking hopes are few,
I will hold fast to the Anchor, it shall never be removed.” (Matt Papa’s Hymn)
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