This is a story I love to tell because it was a blatant display of God’s faithfulness and loving-kindness towards my family, just as it was a revealer of the true anchor of our patriarch’s faith.
The date was May 12, 2011. It was a night like any other – calm and peaceful – as was the norm in the ancient city where we lived; but calm and peaceful quickly turned to chaos and pandemonium when my family was awakened by the deafening and unending sound of gunshots.
At first, it seemed like the sound was coming from somewhere in the distance, but it was only a matter of minutes before my family realized that our very own home had been surrounded by quite a number of heavily armed men.
It only took them a minute to break into our house and begin shooting again (my cousin was miraculously saved, as she got hit by a bullet).
Upstairs, my mother and sister were hiding in a bathroom, while my father paced around, praising the Lord.
Yes, you read that right.
He was praising even as the gunmen advanced closer towards where my family was. He could hear them fiddling with the stairway gate that led upstairs – something which in itself was strange – considering the fact that they had broken into the main house with their sophisticated weapons.
“I will enter His gates with thanksgiving hallelujah eh”
That was the song in my father’s heart in the face of impending danger and death.
And then everything turned around – confusion in the enemy’s camp!
Let’s just say, they began to eat up their own flesh and get drunk on their own blood.
They never made it upstairs and they left our house quickly and in a mad frenzy!
Boy was that some scary experience!
While we will always remember the salvation and deliverance of the Lord, I will never forget the message that my father’s faith preached to me.
That man’s anchor held in the midst of a raging storm. That was why praise could be his response to the enemy’s attack.
When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.
proverbs 10:25 (nlt)
Please understand that this scripture doesn’t insinuate that unfortunate things never happen to the godly. In fact, it indicates quite the opposite. What this scripture really speaks to, is the posture of a man’s heart as well as his personal stability in the midst of a terrifying storm.
The wonderful thing is that the godly have a hope as an anchor for their soul – so even when contrary winds blow, they can stand firm and secure. They can come out stronger. They can walk through the fire and emerge without the smell of smoke. They can wade through rivers and not get drowned.
They can lose their job and not get bitter with God. They can experience heartbreak without breaking into a million pieces. They can lose a loved one and still lift their hands in worship. They can receive a disheartening medical report and still mutter “Lord, I trust you.”
I have massive respect for people who have endured life’s many battles, yet share an even deeper level of intimacy with God than when the storm hit. Oh! What an anchor they have in our faithful Father!
Jesus speaking in Matthew’s gospel, says:
Everyone who hears my teaching and applies it to his life can be compared to a wise man who built his house on an unshakable foundation. When the rains fell and the flood came, with fierce winds beating upon his house, it stood firm because of its strong foundation.
matthew 7:24-25 (TPT)
The question isn’t whether the storm will come – because it will. The question is, will your anchor hold when it comes?
Jesus says the man whose anchor will hold is the wise man – the one who hears and applies His teaching.
I love that while the book of Proverbs tells us a lot about the benefits of wisdom, its true definition is given to us by the One who has been made unto us, Wisdom!
He says a wise man is one who hears and applies His teaching. So simple, yet so prolific; so powerful!
The one who has made a practice of hearing and doing will hold up even when the storms of life hit without warning.
In His presence, you build strength and stamina ahead of the stormy days.
Those days often come without prior notice and they are always a great revealer of what your life is anchored on.
Your personal stability is dependent on the kind of foundation your life is built on.
Today, I’ll leave you with a verse and chorus from the great hymn by Priscilla Jane Owens.
| 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? We have an anchor that keeps the soul Steadfast and sure while the billows roll Fastened to the Rock which cannot move Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love. |
What is God teaching you from Proverbs 10 today?