Lately I have found myself repeatedly singing,
In the eye of the storm, You remain in control
In the middle of the war, You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me, in the eye of the storm. (Ryan Stevenson)
The trials and hardships of life, others and mine, at times seem to be so burdensome, numerous, and troubling.
How do we press on in the eye of the storm? How do we stay afloat? As I pondered these things, three anchor truths came to mind that can be your stay in the middle of the storm.
#1 Christ suffered, bled and died for me and my sins.
The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).
Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).
When I consider the pain of my trial, I must look to Christ Who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself (Hebrews 12:3) to save me from my greatest crisis. What is my greatest crisis? The answer: How do I save myself from going to hell because I am a sinner? Since Jesus Christ took care of my greatest crisis and the tomb is empty, He will enable me to make it through any other crisis.
#2 Christ’s resurrection gives me blazing hope
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Hope in the New Testament is a…
- blessed hope (Titus 2:13)
- joyful hope (1 Thess. 2:19; Rom. 12:12)
- comforting hope (1Thess. 4:13-18)
- hope of glory (Col. 1:27)
- anchoring hope (Heb. 6:19)
“When a Christian truly understands the hope he has in Christ, it results in a steadfast sense of security and stability.” (Gene Getz)
#3 Being in Christ promises me an awesome future!
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 20:1-4)
Jesus, being God and having been in a boat in the eye of a storm (Mark 4:35-41), is the only true Anchor for life, trouble, sorrow, persecution, misunderstanding, questions, death, pain, sin, etc.
From A Pastor's Heart 