When faced with uncertainty, I have found I often return to my roots. I love the new worship music, but find great solace in the old songs. One hymn that comes to mind in these days filled with earth-shaking news is the old gospel song, “In Times Like These.”
Read these comforting lyrics, and perhaps you will find the same peace they bring to me.
In times like these, we need a Savior.
In times like these, we need an anchor.
Be very sure, be very sure,
Your anchor holds and grips the
Solid Rock.
Yes, I know we can lead triumphant lives, and I am aware that we need not fear the future when we walk with God. But there are days when the stock market falls dramatically, a friend or family member is diagnosed with life-threatening disease, and moral bankruptcy rules the day. When these events happen, we need a safe haven and anchor in the midst of the storm.
As Christians, the words of this great hymn ring true and give a certain trumpet sound. Come what may, our anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.
It does not mean that we don’t wince in the face of traumatic and incredibly unsettling news, nor does it mean our hearts are not saddened when evil triumphs, or that we do not notice when the waves have hit hurricane proportions. But come what may, when the storm has passed, our anchor keeps us moored. We will not be swept away. Our anchor is Jesus, yes, He is the one!
But think about our lost friends. Where do they turn? Where can they find shelter in the storm? Our lost friends cannot say, “Whether I live or die, I am the Lord’s.” When storms come, our lost friends have no tether and are swept out into the deep without hope.
Let’s quit kidding ourselves, this old world is on a collision course with disaster. When disaster comes, there will be no disaster relief. Lost people are bound for a Christless eternity. Hell is not a myth.
As Christians, we have a hope that cannot be denied. We have a Savior Who anchors us in the storm. Our lost friends have nothing in the end. Shouldn’t this move us to action? Shouldn’t this break our hearts and cause us to become people who offer the anchor to those tossed about in the storm?
In times like these, we cannot simply run into the cleft of the rock and hide from the storm. We must be rescuers. As another old hymn says, our task is to “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful. Jesus will save.”
The church needs to be the ship of hope that rescues those in the storm, and then drops anchor against the storm and grips the solid rock.
In times like these, are we in the church wringing our hands? Do we find solace, but ignore those caught out in the storm? NO! A thousand times, NO! We must seek those in the storm and tether them to the anchor!
