Our Anchor
By Susan Klein
When you pass through
the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will
not sweep over you. For I am the Lord, your God.
Isaiah
43:2a, 3a (NIV)
In the internationally-acclaimed film Beasts
of the Southern Wild, a hurricane devastates a remote part of
Louisiana. As a little girl named “Hushpuppy” and her dad ride around in his
makeshift boat surveying the damage and looking for survivors, she has some
rather poignant reflections for a six-year-old. Staring into the water, she
muses, For the animals that didn’t have a dad to put them in a boat,
the end of the world already happened. They’re all down below trying to breathe
through water.
Do you ever feel like you’re beneath the storm
waters of life, wondering if you’ll make it to the surface so you can breathe
again? Or maybe you’ve made it to the top, but have no strength left to heave
your body over the edge of the boat to safety. Do you need a dad to lift you up
and place you securely in the boat?
Beloved, you need not be overcome by the
floodwaters. No matter how raging your storm is, the end of the world has not
yet come for you. You have a heavenly Father who cares. He will pick you up and
carry you through all of life’s difficulties, just as He promised His people in
the book of Isaiah. He is the same God today, ready with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm to lift you into His lifeboat and keep you from drowning. He
is your anchor, your life raft, your security. No storm is too great, no
circumstance too difficult for Him to overcome. He is the calm in your storm.
Cling to The Anchor!
For those who reject the Father’s hand, the
end of the world has indeed already happened. Unless they make the choice to
receive His help, and believe the soul-saving act of His Son, they are already
perishing. But there is always hope. Our heavenly Father desires that no one
should perish (2 Peter 3:9).
In the movie, Hushpuppy’s dad wasn’t prone to
show affection, but through this one act, she realized how very much he loved
her and would not let her die. How much more must our heavenly Father love us
if He will not only rescue us from life’s storms, but also gave His Son’s life
to save our souls from eternal destruction!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Do you know for sure you have the blessed
assurance of salvation God has offered to you? (If not, please email us atinfo@oakwoodnow.org and
ask how you might receive this assurance.)
2. How will you demonstrate that you
confidently trust Him to be your anchor when the storms of life are pressing
in?
FURTHER READING:
Susan
is married to Mark, and has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible
studies, writing, and tutoring with the Literacy Council. She is a member of
the Peace Team at Oakwood.
