“Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.” Acts 27:29
Today, we said “good-bye” to the decade of the 10’s and said “hello” to the decade of the 20’s. How quickly time flies by! New Year’s Day comes complete with well wishes and God’s blessings from friends, family members and some people we hardly know! Here are a few examples: “God’s grace offers us fresh starts.” “God bless you with joy, peace and love in the days ahead.” “Happy New Year to all our Facebook families.” “Our hope is not in the new year, but to the One who makes all things new.” And then there was this one, “Happy New Year to everyone….except a couple of people!”
The New Year is a time of fresh new starts. We can look forward to accomplishing special projects, taking a trip, losing weight, meeting new friends or digging deeper into God’s Word. But as in the life of every Christian, there may be trials and storms ahead for 2020. How you handle that storm will determine a great deal on how you live the remainder of your Christian life. Sometimes the storms of life move in, take over, defeat follows and with it goes our joy. We become stalled somewhere in the middle of the storm and have no real plan to go on living for Christ. The Apostle Paul was taken captive to Rome and went through many trials as he journeyed to his destination. After being driven by a raging storm for fourteen days, they dropped anchor and waited for daylight. Acts 27:29 states,
Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.” What are the four anchors that will keep your Christian life right on course to land you safely to the shore? Bible scholars speak about the anchors, some interpret them slightly different, but here are four I liked.
- Anchor One – God, everything hinges and depends on God, the self-existing One, God of the universe, Holy God, Omniscient One. First, you have to surrender your life to Christ, be willing to serve Him and commit to His plan for your life. John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name.”
- Anchor Two – Faith/Trust – The Word of God will be of little benefit to you unless you have faith in it. The key to success day by day is whether you believe God or not. Paul’s whole Christian life was marked by beatings, prison, stoning and being left for dead, but he hung on to the anchor of Faith and Trust. Acts 27:25, So keep up your courage men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” God doesn’t promise us an easy life, storms are inescapable, but He does promise to never leave us in the storm!
- Anchor Three – Prayer and a Good conscience. Paul exhorted Timothy to hold “onto faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith,” 1 Timothy 1:19. We need to rely on God’s word to teach us the truth, and having learned it, let us hold to it with a good conscience. And “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests….be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people,” Eph. 6:18.
- Anchor Four – Hope! We must be confident that God will keep His promises, for it is impossible for Him to lie. His promises for the future are as sure as the dawn! This blessed Hope is “an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast,” Hebrews 6:19. The winds and waves may roar, we may toss and turn in the storm, but as we set our hope on the living God, we will reach our safe harbor!
Happy New Year, dear friends! And Happy Sailing!
Your friend, Jean