Psalm 34:17. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Come friends and fellow believers, it’s time to gather and worship our wonderful God, sing His praises and offer up thanksgiving on this His Day, for all that He’s done for us. And all God’s people said: ‘Praise the Lord! Praise His Holy Name! For He is a God of goodness and LOVE!’ And indeed He is! But those are just two of His many attributes, all of which mark Him as the most powerful Being in the universe. And today’s song of worship celebrates that awesome power.
The song is titled ‘The Anchor Holds’ and has a very interesting and touching story behind it. Apparently in 1992, the writer, Lawrence Chewning and his wife were having a rough time. He called it their year of sorrows. His father died, He was a burned-out pastor in a church that was having some problems, and then his wife had her third miscarriage. In light of all that disappointment and depression, he took a sabbatical for six months, and just ended up playing the piano all the time, while talking to God. Eventually, he found himself creating the song.
Sometime later he was talking to the singer Ray Boltz and told him about the rough times and the song the Lord had given him. Ray decided to record the song and remodelled it into what it is today. It was released in 1995 and has since become a favourite of those who are undergoing sadness and loss. So, let’s raise our voices in sacrificial praise as we do our version, mid-tempo, soulful and heartfelt, leaving no doubt as to our sincerity.
Singing: ‘I have journeyed, Through the long, dark night Out on the open sea By faith alone, Sight unknown And yet His eyes, were watching me. The anchor holds, though the ship is battered. The anchor holds, though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. I’ve had visions, I’ve had dreams, I’ve even held them in my hand, But oh Lord, I never knew, They would slip right through, Oh my Jesus, Like they were only grains of sand. The anchor holds, though the ship is battered. The anchor holds, though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm.
Oh, I have been young, but I am older now, thank the Lord, And there has been beauty, that these eyes have seen, But it was in the night, through the storms of my life, Oh, that’s where God proved, His LOVE for me. The anchor holds, though my ship is battered. The anchor holds, though my sails are torn. And I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Yes, the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Thank You Jesus! I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Yes, the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Thank You Jesus!’
Now isn’t that a soul stirring piece of music. It certainly is! And I know that many of us have experienced that same kind of heartache and sadness, and have made it through, only because of God’s good grace. Believe me, there is indeed life after the storm, and the anchor does hold with Jesus operating it. And why should it not, when He is the Master of the storm?
That was miraculously borne out when He and the disciples were crossing the sea of Galilee and a storm of hurricane like proportions rose up on them. The boat began taking in water and the disciples were deathly afraid, but Jesus slept quite calmly in the stern of the boat while the wind howled and the sea raged all around them.
But when they couldn’t handle their fear any longer, they awakened Him, saying, ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be) that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4:38-41)
But my brethren, we know the answer to that question is quite simple. The winds and the waves obeyed Him because He was the One who created them in the first place. And, unlike the disobedient creation call humans, Mother Nature steadfastly obeys her Creator. Now, we like to cry down the disciples for their apparent lack of faith, but we must remember that they were young, inexperienced men, some of them possibly still teenagers, and most likely couldn’t swim either. And I wish to point out that many of us would behave the very same way if we were in a boat on a stormy sea with Jesus today.
I’ve experienced a hurricane and a raging storm out on Lake Ontario, and though I had faith and could swim, I was still afraid in both instances because the situations were so terrible, it seemed like only a matter of time before you went under. It is important though, that when we get into stormy situations, both literal and figurative that we keep our faith strong, even when things seem hopeless, for while there is life, there is always hope in and with Jesus. Now here are a few scriptures to help us to do just that.
And the first one comes from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. Please read with me, these marvellous and encouraging words of Bruh David. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite (crushed) spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.’ (Ps. 34:17-20)
And if that doesn’t buoy your spirit, then listen to this verse from Cousin Sol’s overflowing reservoir of wisdom. ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity). (Prov. 24:16) That’s what expected of us friends; to get up each time we fall, to never give up. And we’ll end with this most appropriate scripture from Psalm 145, more encouraging words of Bruh David. ‘The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him: to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear (reverence) him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy.’ (Ps. 145:18-20)
Yes my fellow saints, it is up to us to have scriptures stored in our hearts so that when troubles arise we can raise them up and keep our faith strong and steadfast. That’s when we become mature Christians! Much LOVE!
…fear will attack us all…but strong faith will repel it every time…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ
SCRIP-BITS 