Earlier this week I blogged about stability and our lack thereof and that the only true stability that we ever find in this life is found deep in the heart of God. Even as I wrote that blog a song came to mind, one that I’ve loved for years, one that even refers to one of my favorite names of God/Jesus found in Hebrews 6:19: Anchor. When I think of anchors I think of strong, massive things that hold ships steady, even in a raging sea. Often when I think of God I think of a strong, massive being that holds me steady, even in raging seas. It is no wonder that I’ve loved this song for so long (not to mention that my favorite band ever sings it…and for that matter I’m shocked that I have yet to feature one of their songs in this series!). Without further ado, the song of the week (the excuses series is on hiatus until further notice):
Song: Anchor
Artist: Lifehouse
Lyrics:
I stand with a blank expression now
And I can’t believe myself
Would someone tell me how
Did I get here
I am walking
Changing slowly
I am chasing
Climbing closer
I know that I’ll never be alone
You will never let me go
You are my anchor
Hold my hand while I’m sinking in the sand
No one else could understand
You are my anchor
It seems that I lost track of time
And I can’t believe my mind
Would you save me if
I reached out to you
I am waiting
Watching, standing
I am reaching
Climbing closer
I know that I’ll never be alone
You will never let me go
You are my anchor
Hold my hand while I’m sinking in the sand
No one else could understand
You are my anchor
Anchor yeah
Can you hear me, hear me
Can you hear me
I hadn’t listened to this song in a while until this week and I almost forgot how brilliant it really is. Don’t we often wonder how we got to where we are? We stand with a blank expression and we feel totally lost, completely unaware of our surroundings and how the heck we’ve ended up here. In fact, that only person who can really tell us how we got here is God. Others can fill in some details, but God saw the whole story playing out. We are walking, listening to the story, recalling how everything got so messed up in the first place and as we listen, we are slowly changing, climbing closer to God. As St. Rose of Lima said, “there is no other ladder by which we may get to Heaven apart from the Cross.”
Then, the chorus comes crashing in…hope. I know that’s I’ll never be alone, a truth we come to know only by faith, only by continuing to listen to God. You (God) will never let me go, yet another truth we know by faith. Even when Peter started to drown in the water as he walked towards Jesus, Jesus saved him from drowning. God is our anchor – He holds us steady in our raging seas, even if we put ourselves in a raging sea by separating ourselves from His love (a.k.a. sin). He holds our hands while we sink in the sand or in the ocean or in the drama of life. He holds our hands while we sink into worry about finances or the future or whatever, He holds our hands while we sink into even more illusions of stability. Truly, no one else can understand us like He does, not just because He made us, but because of how deeply He loves us.
We lose track of time in our despair, in our worries, in our attempts (feeble though they may be) at control or stability in our own lives. Life can so easily be like quicksand and we are sinking, though most of the time we don’t realize it until the quicksand reaches our shoulders. We can’t believe what we are seeing, we can’t believe just how far we’ve allowed ourselves to sink, so we ask God, “would You save me if I reached out to You?” All I imagine when I hear that line is God reaching out His gloriously strong arm from Heaven and gently, lovingly replying, “Yes. Of course my dear child, how could I not? You reaching out for Me is all that I’ve been waiting for.”
Repeat the pre-chorus and the chorus, then we seem to have come full-circle, “Can You hear me?” The question repeats. He always hears us. He continues to be our anchor.
His love is our anchor. His love is our stability, it is unfailing, unchanging, timeless and immovable.
Lord, let Your love be my anchor, today and everyday, especially when the storms rage around me. AMEN.
