Quick, throw out the sea anchor!

Sea anchor drogue in rough seas

Dale Coad

Quick, throw out the sea anchor!

October 1, 2017 Prayer blog by Dale Coad

What do you experience in the middle of a storm?   

I am in the middle of a series of storms that are frankly overwhelming.   Working in the Caribbean, there is a strong emotional link between the human tragedies in all of the islands and our own well-being.   Our whole Caribbean ministry team affirms that God is good and that God is in control while the news media screams: "Irma, Jose and now Maria are wreaking havoc in your area and causing indescribable pain and loss to those whom you love."    How do we deal with our faith that God is in control when the unprecedented numbers of storms allege otherwise?   We need to throw out our sea anchors!

Sailors who face violent storms know that a great danger to avoid is having their vessels smashed broadside by powerful waves.   The sea is unforgiving.   Their best defense is to turn the bow of the boat into those crashing breakers. But how does the crew gain enough control from those powerful forces to do so?   Oftentimes, it's sea anchors.

A sea anchor is a device used to stabilize a boat in heavy weather.    It creates resistance to the storm. When attached to the stern, it slows the boat for better control. So, with so many storms thrashing Cuba, the Turks and Caicos Islands, St. Maarten, Barbuda and Dominica to name a few, how do we find our sea anchors?   How do we deal with the dissonance of the clarity of our faith in God when the confusion of life's circumstances scream otherwise?

In Psalms 73, Asaph found his clarity when he faced his own dilemma.   In v.1, he affirms his faith in God, "Truly God is good in Israel, to those who are pure in heart" while revealing his emotional state in v. 2 "But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped."

What was Asaph's dilemma?  He was perplexed. "I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (v.3).    God's people saw the wicked prosper also and they were asking the same hard question, "Does God realize what is going on?" (v. 11 TLB).   "Have I been wasting my time?   Why take the trouble to be pure?" (v. 13)

In the middle of his storm (of faith), he realizes that concentrating on his perplexing thoughts would not bring any relief (vv.13-16).   His only relief is when he allowed God to put things back into eternal perspective.   "But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end" (vv.16-17).

In that moment in time, Asaph threw out his sea anchor.   He slowed down.   He faced the ongoing waves that threatened to batter his vessel.   He understood the danger of losing his faith at such a critical time, "I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you" (v.23).

In the very last moment, right before Asaph slipped down the treacherous slope of skepticism and dismay, God took hold of his hand.   God was still God!  In that vulnerable split second, he suddenly declared, "Whom have I in heaven but you?" (v. 25)   Though our strength may fail us, God does not.   "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart" (v. 26).    God strengthened his heart!

As Asaph, when we're "so close to the edge of the cliff" (v.1) in a precarious place in our faith, we need to throw out our sea anchors.    Don't panic.   Slow down.   Seek God's perspective.   Center your trust in God.   He is greater than the storms.   "Look!   Those who left you are falling apart!   But I'm in the very presence of God" (v. 28).   Let's make God our refuge in the storms.   As Asaph declares with renewed faith, "I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge" (v. 28).