We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. (Hebrews 6:19)
As we head into the fourth week of this global pandemic, it can begin to feel as if we are adrift on a sea of uncertainty, trapped on a boat with no rudder as we veer perilously close to running aground on the rocks of disaster. But I want to emphasize to you today that it only seems that way, because the Christian is on a boat that is steadily running its intended course with its sovereign, unwavering Captain standing at the helm.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the anchor of our souls; He keeps our hope firm and secure, regardless of the storms we find ourselves in, including this unprecedented, unrelenting virus. Jesus has assured His followers that we are in Him (John 14:20), and He has promised to keep us safe in the midst of the storm winds of life. Because we are in Christ, and Christ is unmovable, we too are unmovable when the waves of challenge wash over us, including the challenge COVID-19.
The song “My Soul is Anchored,” written by Douglas Miller, encourages and instructs us to stay anchored in the Lord, no matter how hard or how long the winds of challenge and confusion may blow: “If the storms don’t cease, and if the wind keeps blowing, in my life, my soul has been anchored in the Lord.” Remember, Jesus never promised us a storm-free life; in fact, He told us to expect just the opposite. But He also promised that He will take us through every storm that comes our way. And one day, in His sublime, sovereign timing, He will command the storm, “Peace! Be still!” And the raging waves of COVID challenges will become a flat calm.
We live in a broken, sin-stained world as broken, sin-stained people, and so we suffer. But so did Jesus! The King of kings was “a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). He who was sinless suffered when he was tempted (Hebrews 2:18). He suffered the heartbreak of rejection by His Father (Matthew 27:46), and he suffered the unimaginably agonizing punishment for your sins and mine (1 Peter 2:24). And Jesus the Christ endured all that suffering so that we would one day enter into the new heavens and the new earth, where there will be no more sickness, no more sorrow, no more suffering, and no more death.
Until we cross the Jordan and reach our glorious, eternal abode, let us fix our eyes on our Almighty Anchor, who promises never to leave nor forsake us. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
You are in my prayers and in my heart.
Purpose and Passion,
Pastor Tommy
Grace for the Race 