POSITIONED TO SOAR V: Focusing Your Anchor

Positioned to Soar V: Focusing Your Anchor

Hebrews 6:19; Acts 27:8-41

A reliable anchor makes you unmoved by changing or trying situations.  On a boat or ship, an anchor is an instrument used to stabilize the boat/sheep. The anchor is made of a heavy object (according to the size of the vessel) attached to a rope or chain and used to fasten a ship to the seabed.  Typically, the instrument has a metal shaft forked at one end, as in PICTURE 1, able to grip or dig into the seabed to keep the boat from drifting due to water currents. 

PICTURE 1

The anchor instrument must be strong enough and cast to the anchor seabed, which must be solid enough to provide the anchor effect.  If the anchor is weak or poorly maintained and the seedbed is sand, false rock or seaweed the anchor will not hold. A boat whose anchor does not hold fast enough is exposed to the bashing of strong winds that cause it to swing wildly, drift away, or be swept away or wrecked by water currents.  The anchor must hold and keep the boat unmoved if it is good.

The human soul also needs an anchor that can hold reliably. The result is peace, hope and progress. Without stability, one cannot pursue one’s goals and develop.   Generally, a life anchor is a person or thing that provides stability and instils confidence in an otherwise uncertain situation. Trust placed in the thing and the thing’s ability to provide stability provides the anchor effect.  Focusing your anchor is about placing your faith in what is most able to anchor your soul/life.  It is so very important where you decide to drop our anchor. Have you placed your trust in something able to overcome the storms that threaten your stability/peace/security?  Will it keep you safe and still in the storm.  Is it strong enough to keep you from shipwreck? What do you stand on? Whom do you hold on? Whom do you call on? Are you anchored right? You need an anchor that can hold in the midst of life raging storms.

Acts 27:8-41 tells how four anchors failed to hold fast enough but one anchor held and saved lives.  Paul was a prisoner en route to Rome to stand before Caesar. At Safe Haven on hearing from God Paul warned that sailing would be a danger to the ship and its passengers. However, the centurion guarding him believed the captain of the ship rather than Paul. In addition, the majority of the 279 passengers reasoned that it was best to sail. Winter was approaching and they had to be at a place where climatic conditions were better. Further a favourable south wind seemed to confirm that time was right to go (Acts 27:13, 14).  You like Paul may have been in situations when you know what God wants but everyone else sees things differently and you feel like the odd one.  Be encouraged, God will in one way or more vindicate you. They ignored Paul but as he had predicted, before long the gentle south wind became a ‘hurricane’ type wind.  To contain the situation they threw out the ship’s cargo and ship’s accessories to no avail. The ship was rocked so much that they lost all hope of living.  In the circumstances, they were prone to abstaining from food. That is how bad things were. When you can still eat, you are well. At one time some of the sailors wanted to jump onto the ship’s escape boats and abandon the ship (Acts 27:30-31). Even that option was taken away when the soldiers cut off the boat’s ropes.

On the voyage Paul became an emotional anchor who brought God’s word and encouraged the passengers to eat and cheer up.  He announced that despite having disregarded his earlier advice no life would be lost but the ship only.  God provided a plan B (Acts 27:21-23).  More and more they were listening to what Paul had to say. Eventually when the ship was approaching some country (Acts 27:27-29) they dropped four anchors down to stabilise the ship and prevent it from crashing onto the land. Paul continued to cheer them up (Acts 27:33-34). The anchors they dropped however did not help save the ship because the place had crosscurrents that produced fierce waves that made them ineffective and wrecked the ship.

The crew threw four anchors down but in the circumstances, their anchors could not prevent a shipwreck.  Instead, Paul cast one anchor that saved all the passengers. Paul narrowed his trust to only one anchor that holds all the time – ‘for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me’ (Acts 27:23-25). He proved that salvation was not in sailing experience, was not in escaping from a situation, was not offloading the ship, was not perfect circumstances, and was not being in the company of over 100 soldiers but in God alone. He trusted Gods promises, presence, and power. They cast their anchors downwards but He cast his one anchor upwards to the rock of ages. Like him, drop/cast your anchor upwards to the solid ground found only in God’s strength and security. That Anchor is placing your Faith in God who never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Paul knew the good news that there is solid ground.  Trusting in anything under the sun is vanity (Ecclesiastes) - whether it is position/power, possessions, privileges/status, pleasure, or popularity.  Even the earth referred to in Latin as being a terra firma--which means that it is solid ground. The very thing we are living on---the place where we have built our homes, our castles, store our treasures, pin our hopes on, our dreams on has proven it is not solid ground. It is prone to earth quakes, landslides, greenhouse effect, set on moving plates, possibly spins wobbly on its axis, etc

When you cast your anchor up to the rock of ages and not anything on earth or its universe, you shall not be moved:

>>You shall not be moved from Truth.  By setting on the dangerous voyage despite the warning of God’s word, they moved from truth.  God has provided Apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists and pastors to the Church so that they anchor believers in the truth instead of moving back and forth with every wind of doctrine.

Mathew 24:4-5 warns, ‘take heed that no man lead you astray. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.’ People anchored in the truth not only know God’s word but also obey his word (Mathew 15:8; Proverbs 12:3). Nothing can steal and sway their hearts from God. Jesus knows that you have a tendency to drift away from the place where you are supposed to be, e.g. not praying as you should, reading the bible like you should and responding to situations and people like you should. It does not matter in which direction you tend to drift, if your anchor is upward, when you start drifting a little too far, you will sense the anchor pulling you back.

>> You shall not be moved by Trouble. It is interesting that Paul was still even though he was in a storm of being a prisoner even before he experienced the physical sea storm.  He then created a storm within the sea storm by the manner in which people swim to safety. During the escape, the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape (Acts 27:42-43).  However, his anchor was strong enough to withstand all the three storms he was facing.  The anchor of trust in God will strengthen you in trouble (Psalm 46:1 – 5).  Thou dost keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee (Ps 26:3).

>> You shall not be moved from Hope. The passengers on the sheep had lost all hope. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared , and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away (Acts 27:20).   Casting your anchor upward will inspire enduring Hope (Colossians 1:23).   You cannot depend on Christ, focus on him, and fail to have hope, or be prone to lose hope.  

>>You shall not be moved at all times. Even when you wish you had done things differently (Acts 27:21, 22). Maybe you are constantly mourning missed opportunity, and wishing if only you had stayed. Yes, you should have done things differently but God has not given up on you yet. He recalculates as the GPS does and will take you to his destiny if you choose to obey him.  You can be of good cheer. God’s recalculations may however come at a price such as they lost the ship. There was however no loss of life and later they embarked on a different ship. No matter what is happening or happened before, you remain unmoved because your anchor is right. Whether it looks too good, too bad, or too late God will make a way.    Listen for his recalculation and learn from the past (Psalm 62:6 – 8; 21:7; 2 Corinthians 6:4-10; Romans 8:35-39).

>>You shall not be moved at Will. When your anchor is upward, you decide whether circumstances move you or not. Paul chose to believe (Acts 27:25).   Faith is a choice. Courage is a choice. Joy is a choice. A choice of how you fix your anchor. ‘I have set Jehovah always before me: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved (Psalm 16:8).’

The storms of life are raging. Drop the anchor of faith.  Be anchored right (Hebrews 12:1-2).  The people who will make it are those who do not mix Jesus plus stuff from witch doctor, apostolic sect, some unbiblical practice, etc.   Drop your anchors on solid ground. Trust in Him only and fully. Nothing else will do. Only anchor in God is truly safe and secure (Isaiah 43:1-3; Luke 1:37; Jeremiah 32:17; Ephesians 3:20). He is the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19; Ecclesiastes 12v13).   Be very sure in times like these – as in ‘Solid rock’ a song by Cynthia Jone. Be very sure that your anchor holds and grips that solid rock Jesus.

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

South Africa