I've been on boats numerous times out fishing in the seas
off both east and west coast. Once I got into bad weather and it was dark at night. The
captain of the boat decided it was best we head back to dock. But prior to
that, amidst the rough seas, we were doing alright although all I could see was
just the sky and the water but not land because of the rocking boat in high waves. None of us
were concerned because the captain of the boat wasn't worried. He had his anchor down. Though tossed by the strong waves, we held our ground.
Anchor is something that holds a boat in place. Without an
anchor, the captain will never be able to stay in a fixed place at sea. When a
boat is anchored, the captain is relaxed. Though the waves and winds may buffet
the boat and the under currents may drag at it, the captain is not
worried. His boat is tied to the anchor and his boat will not drift. If your
life is like a boat, you must ensure you have your anchor with you at all
times. It's fun to sail the seas and experience the openness and sense of freedom
and adventure. But never forget the anchor. Bible says "hope is the anchor of our
soul". If we were to keep us from drifting, form being overcome by obstacles; if we were to reach our dreams, we need to anchor ourselves in hope. Without
hope we will never be able to overcome to reach our destinations.
Hope is that happy expectation that something good is going
to happen. Your morale is high when your hopes are high. But when your hopes are
dim, your morale will take a dive. For 430 years the Israelites were living in
bondage in Egypt. There was no prophet and God hadn't spoken. It was a dark
period in Israel's history. Their morale were at an all time low. Then God
broke His silence and connected with His people through Moses, the chosen one.
Seeing the presence of God before them and watching the God of the universe at
work on their behalf, their hopes returned. Their morale shot up. They were looking forward to the deliverance of God and a promised land. God
gave them hope and they anchored in hope.
When the winds and waves and the under currents of life were
tearing at David, he turned his hope towards God. He anchored his soul in hope.
Many times, it wasn't faith he needed. It was simply hope.
"Why,
my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for
I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God" (Psalm 42:5).
"Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope
comes from Him" (Psalms 62:5).
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power
of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
What happens when you anchor in God? Joy and peace
will start flowing and you will overflow with hope. There will be this happy
expectation that something good is going
to happen. Your faith will kick in for faith cannot work without hope (Heb
11:1). Before we bid farewell to 2018, let me exhort us with these words:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of
these is love" (1 Cor. 13:13).Faith cannot work without hope. Hope (the
happy expectation that something good is going to happen) cannot be without love.
Bible says God is love. When you anchor
your soul in God, when you hope in God, you will experience the greatest love
story ever! Let's anchor our souls in hope, in the God of hope and let joy,
peace and overflowing hope be our portion for the year ahead of us. No matter the wind, no matter the waves, no matter the undercurrents, let us all, like David, hope in God. Let us put our anchor down. For those of us who are anchored in hope, let's too not forget to check is we are still tied to the anchor of hope. God bless.
