I was sitting on the beach today with Pete watching the waves roll in and out and I realised that our life in Jesus is just this simple. Circumstances come and circumstances go but they are all of no consequence. All that matters is that Jesus is in our lives and we are His.
When we’re young, life is full of milestones that we look forward to. We can’t wait until we can read. Or write in running writing. Or start high school. Or marry. Or have a child (or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6, as in my case!) You can’t wait until your first child starts school or until the youngest completes university. You look forward to them meeting their life partners and having grandchildren.
But somehow, when you have a close brush with death, you see life differently, as transparently simple. All these milestones of life are delightful but none of them really matter in the eternal scheme of things. None of them are an anchor for your soul. When wave after wave of calamity wash over you, day after day, and life seems overwhelmingly desperate, only Jesus proves to be the anchor for our souls.
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf” (Heb. 6:19-20 NIV).
Jesus went ahead of us to give us mercy and hope. He pulled back the curtain so that we could meet God in the Holy of Holies, our place of refuge in God’s mercy. It is here that we are anchored, where we find comfort and strength when the storms of life overwhelm us. What’s more, He has promised to never leave us.
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Heb. 13:5-6 NIV).