While in high school I worked at a marina on Lake Waconia. We stayed busy, selling bait & tackle to fishermen, renting boats and pumping gas. But on cold and rainy days it was pretty slow, so I would just sit in the bait shop and stare out the window at the lake. It was hypnotizing.
About 50 yards out from shore were sailboats. Customers would pay to keep them there, anchored to the bottom of the lake.
On cold & windy days I would stare out and watch the high winds pound the sailboats around their anchor buoys. Sometimes the storms got so strong and the wind blew so hard that the sailboats would pull their anchor buoys right out of the water, exposing the rusty chains that held them to their anchors at the bottom of the lake. I remember thinking, wow, those must be some heavy anchors. They never budged.
Our spiritual lives are much like those sailboats. When the waters are calm we may feel the occasional tug of our anchor, but for the most part we just float around, bouncing from one wave to the other. But when the storms come, we cling to our anchor, praying that it keeps us from blowing to the rocky side of the lake. Without an anchor, we are at the mercy of the storms. Even worse - we are controlled by the storms.
The Bible calls this "Meaningless - a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11). To be tossed and turned by the circumstances of our lives brings us to no real destination. One day we go this way, the next day we go the other. It's meaningless - a chasing after the wind.
Contrast that with what Hebrews 6:19 says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." The hope referred to in this passage is the promise of God - the promise of the continual presence of Jesus' Spirit in our lives. It's the promise that He is with us through the storms of life, He is with us in calm waters, and He will be back - making it all worthwhile.
I don't know what storms are going on in your lives right now, but I would encourage you to remember just how heavy your anchor really is. Sometimes the storms get so strong, and the wind blows so hard that is pulls our anchor buoys right out of the water, exposing the rusty chains which bind us to Christ. But, they are strong chains, and He is a heavy anchor. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
The Bible calls this "Meaningless - a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11). To be tossed and turned by the circumstances of our lives brings us to no real destination. One day we go this way, the next day we go the other. It's meaningless - a chasing after the wind.
Contrast that with what Hebrews 6:19 says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." The hope referred to in this passage is the promise of God - the promise of the continual presence of Jesus' Spirit in our lives. It's the promise that He is with us through the storms of life, He is with us in calm waters, and He will be back - making it all worthwhile.
I don't know what storms are going on in your lives right now, but I would encourage you to remember just how heavy your anchor really is. Sometimes the storms get so strong, and the wind blows so hard that is pulls our anchor buoys right out of the water, exposing the rusty chains which bind us to Christ. But, they are strong chains, and He is a heavy anchor. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
Great post, Jeff. What a sweet, comforting reminder :-)
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