Anchor Within The Veil ... by Ama Afriyie-Jenkins

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 KJV)

Here is a burning question: Do you have an anchor in your life? Anything that gives you a sense of security and subjective confidence when your life hits rock bottom is your anchor. Does your boast lie in your wealth, accomplishment, investment, education, network, or social status? These things cannot hold us down when life’s stormy gales arise and, like building castles in thin air, our frail anchors will surely drift when the strong tides lift.

The gospels of Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25 each give an account of how Jesus calmed a violent storm. Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” So the disciples got into the boat with Jesus and they set sail. Only the gospel of Mark notes that other boats also sailed with them. Out of nowhere, a ferocious storm arose, with waves so high that the boat was about to be swamped. These intricate details explain the intensity of the fierce wind. According to Mark, Jesus was calmly sleeping in the stern, resting on a cushion—He was physically present, yet He seemed distant from them. The disciples were terrified, there was no way they were going to survive this. Left with no choice, they woke their Master up. “Don’t you even care that we are all about to die?” they cried aloud.

When an unexpected storm suddenly hits us: the death of a loved one, a bitter divorce, a terminal illness, crashed investments, a failed business, examination, or relationship, our first instinct is to think, God doesn’t care! After all, if He truly loved us, He wouldn’t let bad stuff happen to us. Then we think there is no way we will survive this. Like the disciples, why are we so afraid of the violent winds in our lives? The storms are never meant to kill us. They only come to shake the foundations of our faith, so where we run to when we are swamped is very crucial. Dare not trust in your sweetest frame: money, influence, network, position, investments, or friends. But wholly lean on Jesus to calm every storm in your life. Our confidence should be in Christ, our firm foundation, because every other ground is sinking sand.

When all their striving was in vain, the slumbering Saviour arose, and with a word, rebuked the howling winds and surging waves, ”Be still!” Jesus is the Admiral of the sea and His commanding voice preserved the entire envoy, including the other boats that were present at sea with them. He didn’t neglect them. They were in grave danger too and were also saved by the Master of the sea. That’s our blueprint right there! As Christians, we should not focus on our problems alone. We need to help others going through any form of tribulation too by following Jesus’s example: “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Corinthians 1:4 KJV)

With great authority, Jesus rebuked the raging tempest. The disciples marveled, “Who is this man that when He gives a command, even the winds and waves obey Him?” Isn’t it astounding to know that storms are meant to obey us? Jesus has imparted to us authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Command any sea of tribulation that is threatening to overwhelm you to be still and bow to the name of Jesus, the name that is above all other names (Philippians 2:9). Then Jesus reprimanded them, “Why are you so fearful? Have you lost your faith in me?” When unexpected storms hit us, we grapple with fear and our faith becomes shaky too. God is ever-present yet relatively. He seems so distant to us as sleeping Jesus was to the disciples. We also cry out in agony, “Lord! Don’t you even care that this tribulation will drown us?” But He cares! He cares so much that, “You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:6 NKJV)

Every raging storm is meant to halt an assignment, but we must prevail and finish our race strong. In the subsequent passage, the gospel of Matthew recounts how Jesus sets two demonized men free when their boat finally reached the region of Gadarenes/Gerasenes (used interchangeably). However, both Mark and Luke emphasized the one who begged to go with Jesus after he had been set free. The enemy knew the possessed men’s deliverances were near, so he sent crushing storms to dissuade them from the journey. Little did he know God gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep His command when He marked out the foundations of the earth (Proverbs 8:29). Praise the Lord! Regardless of our anxieties, every rising storm in our lives cannot spread beyond God’s perimeters.

We grow the most when times are the hardest. Our faith stretches the most when times are darkest. Can we sing through days of sorrow… “when darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.” The winds and waves of life will never spare us, but we have to rise above every fear and stretch our faith to believe that Jesus, our anchor, still holds our lives within every dark veil. Cast every lingering anxiety aside and dare invite him into your stormy boat now. He will rebuke the overwhelming waves and steer it to His desired haven for you.

Ama Afriyie-Jenkins

Ama Afriyie-Jenkins remembers loving to write from an early age, and she is a voracious reader. She and her husband live in Accra, Ghana with their children and they shepherd a non-denominational Christian fellowship, Inspirational Hour Ministries. She is a lover of languages and has a heart for gender and development economics in Ghana.

You can connect with her via email: ammajenkins@gmail.com on Facebook and LinkedIn (@Ama Afriyie-Jenkins).