Anchored

I

 performed my first wedding ceremony for a couple I met while working as a chaplain at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.  The ceremony went very well with both the bride and the groom repeating their vows with no fumbles and no tears.  I had been warned by a good pastor that in a wedding, something always goes wrong.  This was not my experience; the service went off without a hitch.

The evening before the wedding, however, we were all very concerned.  Severe thunderstorms passed through the area all night bringing very strong winds, keen lightning and rain.  I went to sleep with the sound of distant thunder and I awoke to the same sound several hours later.  But there had been no power outages nor any damage in the area so there were no delays in any of the wedding plans.

As I made my way back to Fort Worth after the ceremony, the sun was shining, the skies were clear, and the drive was absolutely beautiful.  I picked up my cell phone and made quick call home just to check in with my parents and to let them know I was on my way home.   That’s when I noticed it.  In the distance, just over the horizon, loomed a large cell phone tower.  I don’t know how many of these towers I pass during a given day, but I never take notice of them.  They have just become a natural part of the landscape.  This tower, however, caught and riveted my attention.

The height of the tower amazed me, and I couldn’t help but think about the seventy-five-mile-per-hour winds that had passed through the night before.  Yet, the tower stood firm, unshaken, unaffected by the wind.  Attached to it, on various sides, were large, thick cables.  They were visible from a good distance and grew in size and prominence as I approached the tower.  The wires were connected at several levels to the structure and gave the tower solid support on all sides.  These guide wires were anchored several feet into the ground, providing a firm grip, keeping the tower standing even in the most adverse conditions.

This is an exact picture of God in our lives. Like that tower, we need something to anchor and hold us firm through the storms of life.  When the winds blow, when the rains come, when everything around us is in turmoil, what keeps us standing? What prevents us from falling?  The answer is to be found in Hebrews 6:19, “ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul.” 

The hope we have is in Christ Jesus alone.  He anchors us, protects us, strengthens us, and helps us through all the difficult storms of life.  When we place our faith in him and accept him as our savior, he becomes our strength and our hope.  The more we spend time in his word, the more anchored we become in him.  Jesus is the guide wire that gives us protection and strength on all sides.

Today, the winds of adversity may be blowing.  It may feel as though the very ground will give way around you and you will fall over.  But, if Jesus is your savior, you are firmly anchored in God. The winds will come, the rains will fall, and the ground will shake, but you will stand firm, anchored in Christ Jesus.  Those guide wires held the tower in place so it could deliver its signals and allow me to communicate with my parents.  In the same way, Jesus allows us to stand firm so we can send the signal of his love and salvation to a lost and dying world.  How firmly are you anchored today?