I saw where a friend of mine posted about 30 life principles that Charles Stanley preached and lived by. I was intrigued, began to read these principles, and thought to myself, "Wow, these are good!" All 30 of these messages can be viewed online at
intouch.org. Stanley was the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA for over 50 years, and he is well known for his faithfulness in teaching the Bible on his InTouch TV broadcast. Stanley passed away on April 18 of this year at 90 years of age.
In our devotions, we have previously discussed Stanley's first two life principles. This week, we will examine Life Principle #3, which is, "Our Anchor in Times of Storm: God's Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm."
I will walk you through some of Stanley's teachings on this principle and share some of my own thoughts about storms, and how with God's help, we can get through each one. Before we begin today's teaching, let me offer to you this email address if you would like someone to pray for you for a specific need; it is
pray@dfea.com. I or one of our team members here at DFEA will be sure to lift your requests to the Lord. A burden shared is half as heavy. Allow us the privilege of praying for you.
Everyone, whether a Christian or not, will have to go through storms; some of these will be hurricanes and tornadoes of the soul, no doubt. Followers of Jesus make it through because we have a relationship with Jesus, and we have the written Word of God. Our intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and His Word provides both a compass and an anchor for our souls. No one would dare set sail in a boat on the open seas without both a compass and an anchor.
I am reminded of this song and its powerful lyrics: "The Anchor Holds":
The anchor holds, though the ship is battered
The anchor holds, though the sails are torn
I have fallen on my knees, as I faced the raging seas
The anchor holds, in spite of the storm
This song was written by Lawrence Chewning in 1992 when he and his family were going through a terrible time, an entire year of suffering. His father died, his wife had health problems and a third miscarriage, and he was a burned-out pastor, serving a church that was going through a time of division. But it was the loss of their child that sent them into a season of discouragement and depression. He took a 6-month sabbatical. One day, while playing the piano, he played a song he had not heard. He realized he was writing a new song! He wrote and sang about the anchor holding, though the ship is battered, and the sails are torn. He thought the song was just for him to get through a hard season. He gave it to music artist Ray Boltz, and he rearranged it from 10 minutes to normal length. The anchor held for Lawrence Chewning, and that song has helped millions of people; I know it has blessed and helped me.
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