Tuesday, April 11, 2006

The Anchor Of Life

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast... Hebrews 6:19

Picture a vast, majestic ship on the ocean. It stands alone.

It holds a varied sampling of beauty unidentical to the water's blue grey solitude.

It stands out as a single silhouette on the entire horizon. Completely disconnected to safe harbors.

It shows an image of vulnerability. It shows a structure without a foundation. A building that rocks and sways. Without it's one special tool, no matter how beautiful and intricate it's design may be, a person would be stupid to embark on a journey within this extravagant vessel.

Without an anchor, a ship is a dangerous place.

So is our life on this earth when we do not have an Anchor on our ship when we set out on the sea of life.

Without a anchor, any wind of doctrine, any currant of ideas, any direction our ship is tossed towards, would allow our ship to drive unrestrained to any destination in our horizon.

Just as God is far away in the heaven, so is our anchor when it is firmly fastened to the sea bottom. A passerby, a fellow friend, a watching neighbor, a well meaning relative, cannot see the Anchor when they watch our lives headed towards a coming storm.

But that anchor stands secure and is as real as the ship itself.

But, equally so, a strong Anchor and a capable ship can do no good without a strong rope connecting the Anchor to the ship.

Without prayer and without a healthy prayer life, God can do us no good in anchoring us in His will if our connection to Him is weak.

You won't use a simple rope to fasten your anchor to your ship. You condition yourself to remember that in the midst of a storm when you throw your anchor into the water, the thought of seeing the rope snap as the anchor heads to the bottom of the sea will be a moment that can ultimately change the course of your life forever. The eventual termination of your trip may end in a fatal way.

You'll need a rope (or a chain) that meets the criteria of the size of the ship to the size of the anchor. You won't be able to wait until the storm comes and then decide whether or not that rope is safe; a wise man is prepared.

So must our prayer lives be conditioned to face the storms that come our way in life.

The hope we have in God is an Anchor to our souls. It drives away fears. It quenches discouragement when standing alone. It eliminates any need to put our trust into anything else but God. It is steadfast. Immovable.

Prayer is what connects us to our Anchor. Without prayer, a Solid Anchor and a Christian life are insufficient if we don't have the means of activating our Anchor.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this excellent reminder. The photo of the anchor rope is a great illustration and modivation to keep my prayer link strong. And I should also say that my sisters and I were happily surprised to discover your blog a couple weeks ago! Keep up the good work -- you are a blessing to us 'younger sisters!'

The Mom said...

Hey Neighbor! (Rachel) (literally too we live in the 700 block of your street)

I think you know who I am so I'll spare the details for now unless you want me to elaborate. :)

Just wanted to say thanks for commenting! It's always fun to see who's reading my blog. I check your family's site out and see what you guys are up to throughout the week. I see you and a younger sibling bike past our house every once in awhile too. :)

Anyway, I also wanted to inform you that I can hardly feel qualified to be called a blessing to you "younger sisters" because I think I'm actually younger than you.:) Needless to say, being part of the body of Christ gives us the oppurtunity to bless each other; younger and older. I hope you don't feel bad though: everyone thinks I'm older than I am. Being a wife and mom automatically "ages" a woman. I never had this "problem" until now!!

Thanks again for your comment!

Brittney said...

Court, that was beautiful! You sure have a way with words!!! I never thought of it in that perspective. Thanks for the awesome reminder!

Brittney said...

PS! Wish I were your neighbor too...

*sniffle*

Anonymous said...

What a fun surprise! I didn't realize you lived here in town! I'll have to pay attention when I'm out biking around. That is so funny.

And no, I didn't realize you were younger than I -- but I guess being married with a family makes you appear older! But I was also speaking for several of my sisters, most of whom would be younger than you! [smile]

At any rate -- you have a blessed day...enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having....and maybe someday we'll get to meet the adorable nephew/niece Brittleigh talks about!

Anonymous said...

Great post, Court!

The Mom said...

That would be fun Rachel! It's actually a neice and nephew that Britt keeps talking about.:) I remember talking to you and Ruth at the M.P. seminar in Gretna when I was first pregnant with Landon. That seems like ages ago but really, it was not even 3 years. Wow, time flies.

Yeah, I would be older than your younger siblings and I knew that you included them when you said "us younger sisters."

Thanks again for the comments! So many of my friends know you and are surprised when I tell them we live on your street. I thought I should maybe let you in on the fact that we're neighbors. :) It's funny how diverse Seward is for being a small town. I think that's neat.

You enjoy our lovely weather too!