Friday, October 27, 2017
We Have an Anchor
Megatons
of water aggressively assaulted the rugged coastline, ripping and tearing at
the very fabric of the earth. The angry
sky thundered as did the colossal waves of the Atlantic, which had been stirred
by the category five hurricane which now threatened millions of lives. Plants and animals perished in the violent
display of nature’s fury. What a frightening
enemy – the unmanageable sea.
The
aqua waves frolicked on the enormous, crusty,
brown rocks that lined the breathtakingly beautiful shoreline. They playfully splashed into every nook and
cranny, toying with the edges of the earth.
The ebb and flow of the waves was so pleasant and soothing. What a beautiful natural wonder – the
majestic ocean.
Wait
just a minute! Which is it? Is the ocean a raging menace or a beautiful
and soothing comfort? The same could be
asked about life in general. Is life terrible or is it wonderful? Sometimes the
people, events and season in which we live cause us to wince in fear because of
the challenges and stresses we experience.
At other times, life seems like a great gift to be cherished. How does
one survive the difficult times and enjoy the wonderful things God makes
possible?
The
trick is to find an anchor. The ocean is so big and our ships are so small. We
need a hand to hold on to that is bigger than ours during the stormy times. Our firm faith in a good God helps us survive
the storms. Then, when better days come,
we can relax and soak in the blessings. An
old hymn says it well:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!
Life
can be wonderful, but it can also be terrible.
But God is an anchor. Spending
time with Him and His Word gives stability to life. One of the many benefits of being part of a
local church or prayer group is that each week when believers gather, they
share their faith. Those in a dark time
draw strength from others who are experiencing blessings. The prayer, worship and preaching are like a
feast to a famished soul. Some days life
will rage and other days it will sooth, but the God we worship and the
principles we live by never change, and they provide a solid foundation for us
all. We have an anchor.
If
life seems menacing right now, just hold on to your faith. Tomorrow, you may find yourself enjoying the
sunshine and loving life more than ever before. If you don’t have an anchor,
Jesus is only a prayer away and there are many people waiting to help you find
a personal relationship with Him. You
can have an anchor.
Friday, October 20, 2017
We Know Better Than That
An exhausted young woman locks the office door and heads
across the street to the parking lot
where her Honda Civic is parked.
The sun has already slipped over the horizon and the streets are
relatively empty so she wastes no time.
As she pulls out onto the street she notices a dilapidated pick-up truck
that had been sitting in the alleyway turn on its lights and pull in behind
her. After travelling the side streets she
merges onto the interstate and is a bit concerned that the pick-up is still
close behind. When altering her speed
doesn’t seem to shake her unwelcome tail, she exits the interstate.
If you were this woman’s father or brother, what would you
advise her to do? Should she stop and talk with the driver of the pick-up? Should she park on her street and walk,
alone, to her empty apartment? Of course not, we all know better than
that. You would probably advise her to
go to a well-lighted service station or store.
Or maybe she could go to the police station or call a friend… anything
but make herself more vulnerable than she already is.
This scenario is not unlike the ones so common in movies and
novels where the bad guy walks up to someone on a busy street or in the mall,
jabs a gun against the victim’s ribcage and says, “Walk very slowly to the
exit.” Haven’t you wondered why the
victims comply? Why would they go to the almost empty parking garage or get
into a van? Why would they risk being taken to an old mill where they can be
tied up and abused? Why not stop in the crowd and say, “Go ahead, shoot me
right here where there are fifty witnesses and security cameras!”?
I would take my chances in the crowd rather than follow them
somewhere where I would have absolutely no protection. Hollywood uses this story line, because they
make their own reality and it is the easiest way to move the story along, but
you and I know better than that.
Yet, so many times when people are accosted by fears and
thoughts that torment them, they let those thoughts and feelings corral them
off into the dark. They hole up in their
apartment. They go off by themselves to
argue with the predator. Perhaps they do this because they just don’t stop to
think it through. Maybe they have never
found a safe place. Maybe they have no
one they can trust to help them. But if
we thought it through at all we would realize that we know better than that.
If you are dealing with feelings of doubt, fear or
depression, find a safe place. Find a group of people who have healthy lives
and who believe in a God who is “a very present help in time of need.”(Psalm
46:1) I am surprised at how many people
who are hurting or confused actually
make the worst decision and stop praying or going to church. That would be like driving past the police
station to a quiet, back road, getting out of the car and seeing what the
predator wants. They may feel like being
alone is the answer, but it is actually exactly what their enemy wants.
Think about it. It
may be that your depression, fear or loneliness will stop tailing you if you
simply start talking to God or spending time with other believers. Find a local prayer group. Attend church. Start a daily prayer routine. Let His Word be
a floodlight in to your situation. But, whatever you do, don’t take your
predator down a deserted road to a lonely place and try to solve the situation
by asking them what they want you to do or where they want to take you.
Whenever I am overwhelmed by heaviness or doubts, I find a
safe place with God or His people. It
has saved my life more times than I could count. Try it once and see if God doesn’t set you
free from your pursuers. Then the next
time you are being chased, you’ll remember that -- you know better than that.
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