I grew up singing in church. I sang everything from Carman to 4Him to Phillips, Craig, and Dean and the Gaither Vocal Band. I’ve endured unending shame for some of my musical choices from those years, even though for much of my formative adolescence I had the accountability of spending extensive time on a church stage.
One of the moments I remember most vividly and most profoundly came about a few years later as I sang “The Anchor Holds” by Ray Boltz at my grandmother Muzz’s funeral. She had been in chronic pain for as long as I knew her. She had spent extensive time unresponsive to anyone in the hospital before waking up in the arms of her Savior. But the last time I saw her, she recognized me and I was able to introduce her to the girl who would become my wife and tell her that we were going to have a baby soon. Her smile was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
This week at Crossroads, we talked about the Unstoppable Hope of Jesus Christ. In John 16, Jesus said that, “In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” That is our unstoppable hope. That is the anchor we can hold onto through the storms and struggles of this life.
The chorus simply said:
The anchor holds though the ship’s been battered
The anchor holds though the sails are torn
I have fallen on my knees and faced the raging seas
The anchor holds in spite of the storm
