Out for a walk, I had no special goal
I stopped and rested on a little knoll.
Beautiful scenery, with trees out there
I enjoyed so much the fresh, cool air.
Moments went by, and there seemed no breeze
Then I saw a slight movement in those trees.
Leaves from the trees started hurrying past
The wind growing stronger, the sky overcast.
Soon the tops of the trees began to bend
And a mournful sound seemed now to blend.
The power of that wind was seen all around
I could not see the wind, but results lay on the ground.
No man has seen God, but He has always been
The results of His power we have often seen.
Take time to observe Him, and you’ll see
His power is revealing to you and to me.
Gale by definition means a strong wind. This is my middle name and when we sing the song, “My Anchor Holds” we can find this word used in the chorus. What kind of gales do we have in our lives? What kind of trials do we have and what do we need to do to brace for them?
Though the angry surges roll
On my tempest-driven soul,
I am peaceful, for I know,
Wildly though the winds may blow,
I’ve an anchor safe and sure,
That can evermore endure.
“Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.” (Psalm 124:4-5) “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverb 18:10) Satan is never happy when our lives are peacefully following our Savior and we are living in the light. He loves to send the gales to rock our peaceful existence and make us feel overwhelmed with the cares of this world. Remember God is our strong tower so the gales can blow because He is protecting us.
Mighty tides about me sweep,
Perils lurk within the deep,
Angry clouds o’ershade the sky,
And the tempest rises high;
Still I stand the tempest’s shock,
For my anchor grips the rock.
The life of Paul is quite fascinating and he doesn’t hesitate to tell us of the perils he went through. II Cor. 11:26 shows us some of them. “In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren”. Perils surrounded him and yet he wrote such great epistles including Philippians which is about joy. I imagine Paul as a stalwart man because his anchor was firmly gripped in the Rock, Christ Jesus.
I can feel the anchor fast
As I meet each sudden blast,
And the cable, though unseen,
Bears the heavy strain between;
Through the storm I safely ride,
Till the turning of the tide.
This is the verse that caught my attention. The cable, though unseen, bears the heavy strain between. I have this mental image that even though our Savior cannot be seen on earth, He is holding our cable through the storm. However, we will not rest in Him or rely on Him if we do not know Him. Knowing Him, knowing His Word means we can ride the storm safely. Psalm 46:1 is a great verse to teach your children to hold close to their hearts. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” I know I can meet those blasts of gale because my cable is being held by my Savior.
Troubles almost ’whelm the soul;
Griefs like billows o’er me roll;
Tempters seek to lure astray;
Storms obscure the light of day:
But in Christ I can be bold,
I’ve an anchor that shall hold.
“Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.” I think the Psalmist has it right in Psalm 31:9, when he talks about the grief that is all consuming. Grief can seem overwhelming. Grief can be that gale that washes over our souls. Thank God for His mercy and strength day by day.
My health is a gale that rocks my boat daily but I have a Savior watching out for me. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Some days my morning starts with a prayer to be able to rise up and have strength moment by moment. Other days it is for hourly. What is your gale? Is your anchor holding? If our anchor is in Christ then it will hold, and the gale will blow but it will not dislodge our anchor from our Rock.
And it holds, my anchor holds:
Blow your wildest, then, O gale,
On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail,
For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.
Hebrews 6:19 says, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.” Hope is in Christ as He is our soul’s anchor. But on those days when life is weighing you down and the gale is blowing strongly and you haven’t got any strength on your own, remember Luke 22:32, and go to a friend for help. We are all in the gales and we can help each other. “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
The gales may be around our daily life but we have an anchor in Christ to help us through.