Will Your Anchor Hold?
The hymnal asks a good question, will your anchor hold in the storms of life, when the clouds unfold their wings of strife. When the strong tides lift and the cables strain, Will your anchor drift or firm remain?
God is our anchor!
God is our refuge
God is our strength
God is our help in times of trouble
God is our safety
God is our healing
We serve a God who is able to;
sanitize when there is no sanitizer
provide toilet paper when the stores are out
prevent the spread of the virus
In times like these He is able,
but will He do it? How will the virus end? Has God gone on vacation and left us to domestic destruction? Is the world now Satan’s? What is going on?
Luke 5 talks of a real house, real healing, real diseased people who were sick and were healed.
people with coronavirus
people who are infirmed
people in need of wholeness
people in need of Jesus
people who seek Jesus
Only Jesus can make the crooked ways straight.
Only Jesus can make the rough places smooth.
America is not whole
The world is not whole
We act like we’re going to live forever,
but I believe God still shines rays of mercy on this world. I believe he never leaves us or forsakes us.
in times like these, we need a savior
in times like these, we need an Anchor
be very sure
be very sure
sure your anchor holds and grips the solid rock
that rock is Jesus
yes he’s the one
be very sure your anchor holds and grips the solid rock
In times like these you need the bible;
in times like these oh be not idle.
Matthew 24:21-22 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever.
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened.
These are the words of Jesus, it goes beyond going into the supermarket and looking at empty shelves. Yes, the words of Jesus goes beyond closing schools, and closing churches, and going home because we have mandates to stay home.
Esther 4 14 reminds us of the words of Mordecai who knoweth whether thou come to the kingdom for such a time as this.
Esther 4:14 … and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
God is placing you at this time in history
for such a time as this during the national crisis. Esther was used to save God’s people during the national crisis of her day.
God used Moses to save god’s people during the national crisis.
God used Joseph to save God’s people to save his family to save the world during the national crisis.
God used Deborah to save god’s people during the national crisis.
God used the three Hebrews during the national crisis
God used Elijah during the national crisis
God used Daniel
and more and more during the national crisis
God is using you and me,
it has reached worldwide proportions, a pandemic.
Remember Jesus loves all the children of the world and we’re only at the beginning of this journey through this lonesome valley through the valley of the shadow of death. In it we find suffering and sorrow, death as we look ahead we’ll discover what we’re made of, we will discover what faith really means.
Joseph went from pet, the pet of his father, the favorite, to the pit placed there by his brothers to Potofar, where he was sold as a slave, to prison on false charges, to the palace, to the prime minister of the greatest nation in the world.
And here we are in the very presence of God assembled with no gathering in churches mandate, here we are with stay-at-home directives.
We are gathered here from the world’s religions:
Christians,
Muslims,
Jews,
Hindus,
and more.
We’re here from the world’s races.
Blacks,
Whites,
Asians,
Latinos,
Native Americans,
and more.
We are here from the exotic mixes of
underrepresented people and previously unheard of people from the great workplaces of the world;
artists,
business people,
scientists,
social scientists,
medical professors,
writers,
teachers,
religious,
professionals,
clerks,
service providers,
house keeps,
athletes,
cooks,
students,
entertainers,
carpenters,
construction workers,
sanitation engineers,
farmers,
ranchers,
military people,
and more! Here we are.
Joseph wasn’t a bad person
before his trials began in no way did he deserve what happened to him, nor do we, but after the pit:
Joseph was better after Potiphar
Joseph was better after prison
Joseph was better after Pharaoh
Joseph was better after Prime minister
his family in the whole world was better
his coat he lost but his dream he kept
he turned to God, and in due time he was healed.
Isaiah 53 reminds us that Jesus was wounded for all transgressions bruised for our iniquities with his stripes we are healed. We can and we shall survive the trials ahead. We’ve been turned upside down by recent events. We finally try to get back on our feet and turn upside down again so we have to wait for god’s timing.
Joseph said to his brothers, “you intended all this for evil but God used it for good.
We can say Satan intended it for evil
but God will use it for good. The circumstances that we’re in right now, God will use for good what a mighty God we serve he specializes in taking evil directed against us and using it in the fullness of time for good.
While men slept an enemy came in
to sow tares Matthew 13 reminds us an enemy has done this. Satan the enemy who hates God. The enemy that hates all of us. Unleashed the scheme on the whole world while men slept we have been in many ways in a state of sleep. Asleep spiritually while we were asleep debating political issues and arguing amongst Democrats and Republicans, we were sleeping. We are sleeping, asleep pitting one race against another asleep; pitting one culture against the other. Asleep and while we were asleep the enemy slipped in creeping in strategically planting tears digging through the trash cans of our leaders. Asleep turning our government into the Oprah Winfrey show. Asleep spending millions of dollars making war games and playing video games of war asleep to the fact that spiritual warfare is real. We wrestle not against fleshing blood but against supernatural forces of evil.
Ephesians 6 tells us that asleep but we’re waking up now the whole nation is waking up it’s in a state of emergency it’s harvest time. Tell the coronavirus it’s harvest time. Tell the demonic forces behind it, it’s harvest time, tell every country it’s harvest time, and no weapon that’s formed against you shall prosper. Isaiah 54:17 gives us that promise, we do have an anchor, God is our refuge and strength a present help in time of trouble I will say of the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress and him will I trust for he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows row fastened to the rock which cannot move found it firm and deep in the savior’s love.
Thank you Lord for loving us, thank you Lord for keeping us for guiding us for protecting us for seeing us through be with each home and family represented here and bring us all through safely to thy kingdoms our prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen
#anchor #tribulation #faith #lastdays
