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 married to
Mark, and co-leads an in-home small group. She serves as a mentor to young
women, and is a member of Oakwood’s Peace Team, helping people work through
conflict.
