Where Have You Dropped Anchor?

Read: Psalm 46:1-3

Pray:

INTRO: Thats the question this evening. Where have you dropped your anchor? The perfect christian answer is that you have placed your trust in Jesus. That you have dropped anchor in the promises of God. My challenge for you tonight though, is to question this truth. Have you dropped anchor in who and what Jesus is? You may or may not be able to truthfully answer this question as only times of difficulty will test this truth in your heart. Jesus never guarantees a stable or easy life. He said the opposite multiple times. So when your life falls apart. When your friends fail to support you. When your family isn’t there for you. Whats your response? Do you say, God why have you forsaken me? You wouldn’t be the first to say this. That question is asked throughout scripture by great men of God over and over. However depending on where you have dropped your anchor will depend on if you will be swept away with the storm.

Storms Will Come - One thing I have found true in life is that change is a 100% guaranteed. Nothing stays the same. Change can feel exciting sometimes. When good things happen, and God blesses us it can feel awesome. Lets be clear though God is just as present in the difficult periods of life as He is in the happy ones. The way we choose to respond to hard things is up to us. Some of you may have heard of the story of Horatio Gates Spafford. He was the writer of the Hymn we sing in church, It Is Well With My Soul. He was a lawyer and real estate investor in the late 1800’s in Chicago. In 1871 the year of the, Great Chicago Fire many of his buildings and homes were burned in the fire. He lost allot of money in that fire. In 1873 America experienced a significant financial crisis as the Civil War had just ended many banks failed, many people wouldn’t have been able to get cash to pay for food. And so Horatio chose to send his family on vacation, and said he would join them later. They were traveling by boat on what was called an unsinkable ship. That ship collided with another ship, and sank in twelve minutes killing 226 people including Horatio’s four daughters. My mind cant comprehend the sadness and grief Horatio felt. Yet his response was, “When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know It is well, it is well, with my soul.” This is NOT the normal response of a man who has lost four children! Like seriously, how would it even be possible to say in the moment of the worst imaginable grief to say It is well with my soul?!? This is very much a Job response to an unimaginable disaster.

Where or Who Have You Dropped Anchor - So acknowledging that hard things happen in life. That sometimes things happen that we aren’t responsible for it just is what it is. But where you have chosen to drop anchor in your life will determine if you get swept away with the storm. Last week my family went to San Diego for a vacation. While there we went out to the beach, and did some buggy boarding. It was fun, the waves looked great. And as soon as we got down to the surf. We went out into the water, and it seemed awesome. However after about ten minutes out in the water, a lifeguard came and told us to move out of the area we were in. That it was dangerous where we had chosen be in the water. That there was a pretty bad riptide where we were, and that we could be pulled out to sea pretty quickly. That we could all of a sudden find ourselves miles down the coast or out to sea. We moved, and again shortly later were told to move by the life guards. I asked them where exactly they wanted us because we had been told to move multiple times. The lifeguards pointed to a small area about fifty feet where other people were buggy boarding. The life guards said it was safe there. That, there was a sandbar there, and the current wasn't dangerous in that spot. Where we chose play in the water mattered significantly. Where you choose to place your faith in your life matters. Because even if its not huge disastrous events that happen. Sin also has a way of destroying your life over time.

Pray: