By: Steve Wilmot
When was the last time you were in a storm, sinking under the weight of multiple disappointments, increasing stress, scary situations, anxious thoughts, or depression that drains everything out of you? Did the waves take you down, or did you stay afloat?
In times like these we need hope more than anything else. Hope is an anchor for our restless, overwhelmed, and exhausted soul in times of storm.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6.19). When you lose hope, you’ll throw in the towel and just let the storm take you down. You can’t see any break in the storm clouds, so you stop fighting it.
Those who are fighting cancer will tell you hope is essential if you are going to overcome it. Abandon hope, and your body gives up the fight and surrenders to the disease.
Anyone who’s walked the painful road of divorce knows that hope is the lifeline of a marriage. Give up hope and there’s no reason to put in the hard work to stay together.
“Why fight it? It’s pointless. I give up. I don’t care anymore.” These are the words of a hopeless man or woman.
Hope is your anchor. When you tether your boat to an anchor, it doesn’t matter how unpredictable or challenging the elements become, you remain stable.
In Acts 27, Luke wrote about a storm with hurricane force winds that tossed the ship Paul was aboard like a toy boat. The sailors did their best to stay afloat but eventually gave up and let the wind drive them along. A sure sign of hopelessness.
Fourteen days passed with no sign of letting up. Luke records, “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved (Acts 27.20).
Sound like you when storms don’t seem to offer any way out? They go on and on and on and on. We tend to give up hope and just try to survive. The best we can hope for is battered, beaten, wounded and broken… if we survive at all.
Friend, it’s not a question of whether you’ll find yourself in the middle of a storm, but when. Your anchor is the difference between survival or shipwreck. Without an anchor, you’re doomed.
Here’s two facts about anchors. First, an anchor keeps you right where you are in the storm.
That’s the last thing you want to read right now, isn’t it? You want God to send a helicopter to hoist you out of the storm and carry you to safety. We all do. The storm hits and our instant prayer is: “Jesus, I don’t want to stay here. I don’t like this at all. I’m afraid. Get me out of here!
And Jesus calmly replies, “I’m your anchor. You won’t drown. You’ll be alright.” The second vital fact about anchors is they work best when you can’t see them.
If you can see the anchor, it means it’s either resting in the boat or on the dock. It’s worthless if you can see it. Sometimes you wonder if it’s still there. Your hope begins to waver. You begin to doubt God will get you through your storm. All you see is the wind and the waves. But under the surface and out of sight, your anchor holds.
Jesus whispers, “I know you can’t see me, but I’m here. I won’t leave you. I’ll get you through this. Trust me.”
Whether you survive or shipwreck depends on your anchor. The sailors on Paul’s ship dropped four anchors and that’s what kept them from crashing onto the rocks. It held them in place until rescue came.
You need some anchors, too. Anchor verses. Scripture verses you tie your soul to that steady you when the storms of life try to take you down.
Verses that offer hope so you don’t give up or give in. Verses you meditate on to keep your focus on the God who is your secure anchor.
Do you have any anchor verses you turn to when the storms hit? Your go-to when things get bad? Let me give you one of mine as an example of what I’m talking about.
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged (Deuteronomy 31.8).
When I find myself in the middle of a storm and don’t see a quick end to it, I recite this verse to remind myself I’m not in it alone, left to chance. The God who rules over all things is with me, and he has allowed this storm to produce something good for me or in me.
I repeat this verse over and over. I think about it. I fix my attention on these words to keep my focus on the God who has promised me peace even if he doesn’t calm the storm right away.
Even if the storm doesn’t blow over, I have hope. Hope that anchors my soul. I don’t go under. I thrive on God’s goodness and protection toward me… even in the middle of the storm.
Get an anchor verse for your storms. Meditate on it instead of the storm. It will fill you with hope and faith in the God who has everything under control and cares about you.
———————–
Steve Wilmot is a former Edgerton, Ohio area pastor who now seeks “to still bear fruit in old age” through writing. He is the author of seven books designed to assist believers to make steady progress on their spiritual journey.