Anchored in Hope
When life is as troublesome as it is right now, you need something more than spiritual clichés, blind optimism, or wishful thinking. You need something solid that won’t give way in the middle of the storm, something to anchor your emotions. An anchor is a heavy object tied to a ship that goes down deep and keeps the ship from moving from its position – even during turbulence.
I have experienced times when I have been following God, doing His will, and even seeing great results when suddenly everything imaginable breaks forth trying to stop me. You may have had this happen to you. It is during those times of spiritual warfare you need something solid on which to stand- to keep you from being swayed by the thoughts the enemy puts in your head. You need a solid Word from God.
Matthew 8 tells how Jesus healed a leper, healed a centurion’s servant by sending His word, healed Peter’s mother-in-law, raised someone from the dead, and then got into a boat with his disciples and started to go to the other side…into the region of the Gadarenes to continue His assignment. A storm broke out, and the disciples were so scared they thought their life was over yet, Jesus was able to lie down in the boat and fall asleep. The difference between the two experiences was in how their emotions were anchored. Jesus’ emotions were kept in check by His knowledge and trust in God. Isaiah 26:30 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.”
Faith keeps you anchored, but hope is the wind in your sails. David says in Psalm 51:10-12 “God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life…bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails.” (Msg) Without the wind in our sails, you can get stuck in hope deferred, which “makes the heart sick.” Proverbs 13:12
We can weather the storms because our faith anchors us to a God who never fails and always causes us to triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14). But to move forward -past the storms – we need the Holy Spirit to breathe into our faith and generate fresh hope. Maybe you – like me – need to come a little closer to His breath. Will you join me in repositioning your sails away from the noise and chaos of the storm and closer to the breath of God?
By Pastor Carol Coen