Will your anchor hold?
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, when the clouds unfold their
wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain, will your anchor drift or firm remain?
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.
I have sang this hymn a countless times but yesterday, I got a clearer meaning of the words of this hymn.
Yesterday was one of my gloomy days. I felt as though the world was crashing down on me and for the first time I woke up from bed with a sense of loss and didn't feel the urge to go to church. It was so obvious from the look on my face that all was not well with me although I was physically fit.
My parents walked into my room; obviously worried because I went to bed very early the previous night and that was unlike me. They tried to get me out of my bed and encouraged me to go to church.
One thing my mum told me which echoed in my mind till the end of the day was "You never know what word might be preached today. God will speak to you."
Reluctantly, I got out of my bed, had a cold shower, picked a dress, and off I went to church. I wasn't my hearty self and I couldn’t pretend to be even though the word of God says “In His presence there’s fullness of joy”; in that moment I didn’t feel I was in His presence. I was in church because I needed to show up in church.
We had a visiting preacher and having listened to that man of God a couple of times, his theme always bothered on evangelism so I concluded there was no word for me today and I hardened my heart not to hear whatever he was going to say. I just wanted the service to be over and done with so I could go home and sleep. I passively participated in everything that went on in church; from praying, to singing, to even giving an offertory to God. That was how bad the situation was.
Then it was time for the word to be preached. Brother Keith, as we call him, mounted the podium and in what seemed like a shift from his usual theme on evangelism, he started talking about the greatness of our God and how on many occasions we have limited him in working in our lives. He anchored his sermon on Isaiah 40:8-18 and spoke passionately about God’s sovereignty and how He was aware of everything that occurred in our lives and is willing to set things right for us if, and if only, we would allow Him to. Then he spoke about how on many occasions Christians have idolised their troubles and for that matter impeded God’s restoration power. In a nutshell, he trumpeted God’s omniscient power.
I bowed down my head in shame as he preached on because that morning I had failed to make God great over whatever was troubling me. I had limited Him and idolised my problem. I had failed to trust in him and my faith had quivered.
Right after church, an elderly woman invited me over to her house for lunch. Although I had plans for the afternoon (which was to get home and sleep) I accepted her invitation. As we ate, “Will your anchor hold” played in the background and that was when the meaning of the song dawned on me.
My anchor (faith in God) had quivered and I was sinking. And why was that so, I had failed to see how great the God I serve is.
So what’s the import of my long narrative? You may ask.
It’s simple…the storms will come but your anchor would surely hold if you trust God and acknowledge His sovereignty.
So, yes, I left church with a message:
My God is great.
He’s greater than any challenge I may encounter in this life.
My God is sovereign; being the autonomous God that He is, he needs no consultation with anyone to make His promises to me yea.
My anchor would surely hold in the storms of life.
So I leave you with the last stanza of the hymn:
It [your anchor, faith] will surely hold in the floods of death,
When the waters cold chill our latest breath;
On the rising tide it can never fail,
While our hopes abide within the veil.
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain, will your anchor drift or firm remain?
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.
I have sang this hymn a countless times but yesterday, I got a clearer meaning of the words of this hymn.
Yesterday was one of my gloomy days. I felt as though the world was crashing down on me and for the first time I woke up from bed with a sense of loss and didn't feel the urge to go to church. It was so obvious from the look on my face that all was not well with me although I was physically fit.
My parents walked into my room; obviously worried because I went to bed very early the previous night and that was unlike me. They tried to get me out of my bed and encouraged me to go to church.
One thing my mum told me which echoed in my mind till the end of the day was "You never know what word might be preached today. God will speak to you."
Reluctantly, I got out of my bed, had a cold shower, picked a dress, and off I went to church. I wasn't my hearty self and I couldn’t pretend to be even though the word of God says “In His presence there’s fullness of joy”; in that moment I didn’t feel I was in His presence. I was in church because I needed to show up in church.
We had a visiting preacher and having listened to that man of God a couple of times, his theme always bothered on evangelism so I concluded there was no word for me today and I hardened my heart not to hear whatever he was going to say. I just wanted the service to be over and done with so I could go home and sleep. I passively participated in everything that went on in church; from praying, to singing, to even giving an offertory to God. That was how bad the situation was.
Then it was time for the word to be preached. Brother Keith, as we call him, mounted the podium and in what seemed like a shift from his usual theme on evangelism, he started talking about the greatness of our God and how on many occasions we have limited him in working in our lives. He anchored his sermon on Isaiah 40:8-18 and spoke passionately about God’s sovereignty and how He was aware of everything that occurred in our lives and is willing to set things right for us if, and if only, we would allow Him to. Then he spoke about how on many occasions Christians have idolised their troubles and for that matter impeded God’s restoration power. In a nutshell, he trumpeted God’s omniscient power.
I bowed down my head in shame as he preached on because that morning I had failed to make God great over whatever was troubling me. I had limited Him and idolised my problem. I had failed to trust in him and my faith had quivered.
Right after church, an elderly woman invited me over to her house for lunch. Although I had plans for the afternoon (which was to get home and sleep) I accepted her invitation. As we ate, “Will your anchor hold” played in the background and that was when the meaning of the song dawned on me.
My anchor (faith in God) had quivered and I was sinking. And why was that so, I had failed to see how great the God I serve is.
So what’s the import of my long narrative? You may ask.
It’s simple…the storms will come but your anchor would surely hold if you trust God and acknowledge His sovereignty.
So, yes, I left church with a message:
My God is great.
He’s greater than any challenge I may encounter in this life.
My God is sovereign; being the autonomous God that He is, he needs no consultation with anyone to make His promises to me yea.
My anchor would surely hold in the storms of life.
So I leave you with the last stanza of the hymn:
It [your anchor, faith] will surely hold in the floods of death,
When the waters cold chill our latest breath;
On the rising tide it can never fail,
While our hopes abide within the veil.
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