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 at info@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 a We Women Bible Study Coordinator and one of
its teachers. She and her husband Mark enjoy tutoring and working with
inner-city youth.
