We find ourselves weathering
The perfect storm
An invisible enemy
That threatens to harm.
It lurks like the devil.
It prowls with a roar.
We desperately look
For the safety of shore.
Our boats are rocked.
Fear threatens to overwhelm.
It's now we must look
To the One at life's helm.
He is our anchor.
He calms the child.
He lead us through
Life's ride that gets wild.
For He did not promise
Trouble would not come
Or to calm every storm.
But He promised to be the One...
That would steer our boat
To the saftey of shore.
He will be with us always
He is enough! He is more!
We can hang on tight
With our Anchor in tow.
We may be tossed,
Yet still we can know...
The peace
Beyond all understanding
That's where our hearts
Can have a soft landing...
Where we hold To His Hand
Though the days grow long
He is our Anchor.
In Him we are strong.
I must give the credit for this image of the Anchor in our storm to Max Lucado from His book Anxious for Nothing. What a treasure trove of wisdom in that book.. I wish I could put it in every hand in the world. Of course the Bible would be first, but this one gets straight to the matter.
I must give the credit for this image of the Anchor in our storm to Max Lucado from His book Anxious for Nothing. What a treasure trove of wisdom in that book.. I wish I could put it in every hand in the world. Of course the Bible would be first, but this one gets straight to the matter.
In this book, written well before this perfect storm of 2020, Max describes us as part Chicken Little and part Eeyore. The sky is falling and it's falling disproportionately on us. He brings words from the Bible and javelins them straight into our heart as he reminds us that the psalmist wrote, "Do not fret. It only causes harm." (Ps. 37:8) He describes our anxiety as twisting us into emotional pretzels, the consequences of which can be read in about half the ailments in a medical textbook.
He credits the news for communicating catastrophe in a matter of minutes. We barely process one crisis, and then we hear of another. We think as Christians we should be exempt from worry and then feel guilty when we succumb to it. It's enough to make us wonder if Paul was out of touch with reality when he wrote, "Be anxious for nothing." (Phil. 4:6) Anxiety is not a sin - so Max cautions us not to feel anxious about being anxious. Anxiety can, however, lead to sinful behavior. When we numb our fears with six-packs or endless escapism in front of the t.v., when we spew our anger about whatever doesn't sit well with us, when we peddle our fears to anyone who will buy them, we are sinning. When we magnify the negative and forget that for which would should be thankful, we are sinning. He cautions us also with Luke 21:34: "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with...the anxieties of life."
So then he makes this huge statement: The pressure of anxiety is unavoidable, but the prison of anxiety is avoidable.
And so how is this, Max? He gives us a couple of easily remembered keys to get out of this tendency to expect the worst. He first gives us four admonitions that lead to one wonderful promise: "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds." These are all found in one of my favorite places in the bible - Phillipians 4: "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, whatever things are lovely and of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on those things.
In Phillipians 4 we find 4 ways we can hold onto the anchor:
1. Celebrate God's goodness. "Rejoice in the Lord always." (vs. 4)
2. Ask God for help. "Let your requests be known to God." (vs. 6)
3. Leave your concerns with Him "With thanksgiving..." (vs. 6)
(and I'm going to add... focus on what you DO have instead of
what you don't)
what you don't)
4. Meditate on good things. "Think about the things that are good
and worthy of praise." (vs. 8) (And I will add other wisdom
from a lecture by Henry Cloud, author of Boundaries. He says
to check the news no more than 3 times a day - and get your
focus on some positive things! - that, from a psychologist!)
and worthy of praise." (vs. 8) (And I will add other wisdom
from a lecture by Henry Cloud, author of Boundaries. He says
to check the news no more than 3 times a day - and get your
focus on some positive things! - that, from a psychologist!)
And if you think even 4 things are too hard to remember, Max simplifies it into an acronym:
Celebrate. Ask. Leave. Meditate. = CALM.
Okay, this is getting too long even for me!!! And I only got through Chapter 1. I love to summarize books - so here's the Reader's Digest condensed version for those of you who aren't into reading long things. LOL! Although thanks for sticking with me through this post! Seriously, it's just PART of the first chapter!!
May the God of all hope be the anchor you reach for ... as we all wait to see the shore. (Sorry the rhymes just come!)
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