The Anchor Holds, Mama

Tonight we will talk about the anchor that holds us steady when things feel uncertain or chaotic, mama. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Tonight I want to remind you that the anchor holds mama. We're gonna talk about that tonight on midlight. Years ago, and I was a single mom, it was fresh, and we had experienced a major storm, like a physical storm in Texas, and my babies were not actually babies, but they were 9, 11, and 15. And I remember them running in and climbing into bed with me in the middle of the night. And I remember thinking, God, how do I soothe their souls? Because they were worried, and up until this point, I had not been the protector of our home. And I know that God is always the protector, but up until that point, it wasn't just me alone as a mom. And this time it was. And I remember the Lord gave me a song, and it's an old one, and it's sung by a man named Ray Boltz. If you watch him on YouTube, you'll see he has a crazy mullet. And it was the 90s. The song was The Anchor Holds by Ray Boltz. And I am going to read it to you a little bit of the lyrics because I think it is so fitting for us as mamas. And it says, I have journeyed through a long dark night out on the open sea, by faith alone, sight unknown, and yet his eyes were watching me. 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. I've had visions and I've had dreams, I've even held them in my hand, but I never knew they would slip right through like they were only grains of sand. The anchor holds though the ship is battered, the anchor holds though the sails are torn. I've fallen on my knees as I faced the raging seas. The anchor holds in spite of the storm. I have been young, but I am older now, and there has been beauty that these eyes have seen, but it was in the night through the storms of my life, oh that's where God proved his love to me. 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. I have fallen on my knees as I faced the raging seas. The anchor holds in spite of the storm. And that is the anchor holds by Ray Boltz. And I'll be honest, I read you the whole song. As I read it, I just felt like it was so fitting for us as mamas because we might feel like this ship. We might feel like our sails are torn and we are battered and we're just hanging on. But the Lord is there in his anchor holds in spite of that storm, mamas. He is the anchor, he is what keeps us grounded when life is throwing us around like a ship in the sea. He is the one that holds us steady and keeps us safe. So, mamas, tonight, if you are feeling a little bit like this ship that just feels battered and torn, know this that the Lord will show up in your night and prove his love to you, because that's the kind of God we serve. And there are examples in the Bible of where God literally shows up in the night to comfort, to hold, to rescue. It's incredible. And I want to share some of those verses with you now, mamas. And just so you know, my heart behind midlight is for those mamas who can't open their Bibles while they're nursing or holding a bottle, but they want to. Or for those mamas that are so busy doing chores and taking care of their families that maybe they can't do both in this moment. I want you to hear scripture every time we come together. So this is why I share scripture with you every time. I can't think of a better encouragement than God's word. So here is Psalm sixteen and verse seven, and it says, I will praise the Lord who counsels me, even at night my heart instructs me. Psalm forty two eight. At night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. And I love Psalm one twenty one verses three through four, where he says, He will not let your foot slip, he who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. In Psalm one hundred thirty nine verses eleven through twelve, if I say, Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you. The night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. And Isaiah twenty six nine says, My soul yearns for you in the night, in the morning my spirit longs for you. And I want to end with this verse. Hebrews six nineteen. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. So the writer of Hebrews here is encouraging believers who are tempted to drift or give up under pressure. In the verses just before it, he points to God's unchanging promises and oath to Abraham, because God cannot lie, the hope he offers is completely trustworthy. You see, in the ancient world an anchor was what kept a ship from being driven by the wind and waves. It held the vessel steady, even when everything around it was chaotic. And the writer here uses the picture to say our hope is in Jesus. It is not fragile or temporary, it is firm, it does not break, and it is secure, it does not slip. It holds the soul steady when life feels stormy, uncertain, or exhausting. In this psalm where it says, It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. This is what that means. You see, in the Old Testament temple the curtain separated the holy place from the most holy place, the very presence of God. Only the high priest could go behind the curtain once a year. Jesus, as our great high priest, has gone behind the curtain for us. Our hope is anchored in God's very presence. It is not tied to our circumstances, our feelings, our hormones, or our performance. It is fastened to Christ Himself, who is already there for us. So, Mama, when you're awake in the middle of the night and you're exhausted, or you're awake in the middle of the day and you're exhausted, and everything feels unsteady. This verse says your soul does not have to drift. The hope you have in Jesus is already holding you. It is not something you have to create or strengthen by trying harder. It is already firm and secure because of who he is and where he is. Your feelings may rise and fall with the night, but the anchor, it does not move. So tonight, mamas, I want to pray for you. If you feel like maybe you need to be reminded that God is your anchor. So, Lord Jesus, I come before you right now for these mamas, and I ask that you meet them where they are and remind them that you are the one that holds them firm. You are the one that holds them steady when things feel uncertain or chaotic. God, thank you for being our anchor. We give it to you, God, every concern, every worry, every chaotic thing, and we say we trust in you because you're our anchor. Thank you, God. Amen. So tonight, Mamas, I want to leave you also with a blessing from number six, twenty-four through twenty six. May the Lord bless you and keep you, make his face to shine upon you, be gracious unto you, and give you peace. Amen. Until next time, mamas. Remember, God is your anchor. Take care, and we'll talk again soon.