An Anchor That Holds

Seeing the devastation in Haiti through the news has stirred the hearts of people everywhere to give and help. We see people who have lost everything. Their homes. Family. Jobs. The ability to care for themselves and their loved ones. Their world has been turned upside down.

Though we have not experienced a devastating earthquake, for many in the US our world has turned upside down. The recession struck like a thief, stealing the many things that we held dear. Things that we based our entire lives on. Like a child who has lost their "security" blanket and now experiencing difficulty in going to sleep or to go through the day. We have lost many of the things that provided us a sense of security. Our homes are more than homes. They are investments against the rise of inflation. Millions are now losing their homes or they owe more than the home is now worth. Our mantra for years has been to save for retirement. If your investment portfolio is like mine, the thief has come and now it is worth half of what it once was. Many are barely making it from paycheck to paycheck. That is, if you have a job. The recession has left in its wake lives that lay in devastation and despair. People are now living in fear.

During the reign of Idi Amin in 1970's Uganda, over a half million people were slaughtered. Many of them were Christians. Everything they had was taken. They lived in the shadow of death. One survivor of that reign of terror said that "living in danger can be liberating. For one thing, you are no longer imprisoned by your own security because there is none. So the important security that people sought was to be anchored in God."

Hebrews 6:19 "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." If you read the context of this verse, you'll discover that our hope is in reference to God's oath, His word. God does what He says. He always has and always will. We can bank on it. God's promises are sure, so much so, that we can entrust our lives for all of eternity to them. There is not a better anchor that God. No one else is eternal. No one else can do all things. No one else loves us so.

When your world turns upside down (it's not "if", but "when" because tough times come to all people) then it is an opportunity to make sure that you are basing your security on things that will last. If you put your hope in the Lord, He will not disappoint. In the Lord our lives as well as our future are safe and secure. My prayer is that if you are going though difficult times, that you would turn to the Lord and grow deep in Him and discover the anchor that will hold.

Blessings,
Pastor Pete