When a ship is being pounded in a storm, sometimes the best step is to anchor it until the fury subsides. This can also be our best action when life besets us with storms.

When we are in school, we look forward to the day when we will no longer be subject to pop quizzes, tests, and final exams. Even after graduation, we remain in what might be thought of as the school of life, which is full of challenges and tests. Tests and difficulties are woven into the fabric of life. If we are children of God, he uses them to reveal what is in our hearts and to help us grow in our faith and devotion to him. We can learn and mature as a product of testing, or we can flounder, profiting little. 

Jesus gave us some comforting words to help us.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (ESV) 

No matter what happens to us, we have a promise from Jesus that we can always experience his peace. Some of us have already experienced the fulfillment of this promise first hand. Others of us will eventually, if we keep our faith and focus on the Lord. But what about those times when the storm that comes at us is so severe that we feel as if we are barely able to hang on to God and his promises? What can we do if we feel as if things are hopeless, confusing, and spinning out of control?

When life seems like a violent storm pushing us against deadly reefs, we need an anchor to help us ride out the storm. Consider these words.

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19  This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:18-19 (NLT) 

Jesus already successfully navigated the worst storm imaginable at Calvary. He endured the confusion of contradiction, the abandonment and betrayal of friends, false accusations by enemies, injustice, horrible suffering, and a humiliating death. Through the apparent hopelessness of it all, he did not waver in his faith in his loving Father and the promises in the Word of God. He made the decision to enter that vortex of suffering, knowing full well what was ahead, because he fully trusted his Abba Father to be his Keeper.

When Jesus rose from the dead, his’ victory over fear and hopelessness was complete. All who trust in him share in that victory.

When it is our time to enter into testing and trial, it is important for us to make some conscious choices. It is important for us to make a stand against any emotions of fear, doubt, and confusion that may arise in our minds and hearts. The devil, who is the father of lies, attempts to get us to believe his lies instead of God’s truth in order to gain an advantage over us. Satan tells us that God is not there, that he does not even care, or perhaps that he is unable to help us. He tells us that God and his promises cannot be fully trusted. He reminds us of our faults and failings, instilling in our minds the idea that we don’t deserve God’s help anyway. Others may be blessed, but not us. Therefore, faith is useless. We must either give up altogether or take matters into our own hands.

When Satan’s lies line up with our own false interpretation of reality, it creates a powerful pull to abandon our trust in God.

The Bible calls these lies “strongholds,” which are logical arguments we make that nullify the truth and impact of God’s Word. These devilish speculations must be destroyed using spiritual weapons. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Four of the weapons God has given us are:

1. The truth of God’s Word,
2. Our faith in God and his promises,
3. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit, and
4. Praise.

Unfortunately many of us have at one time or another succumbed to this temptation and have lost hope, surrendered to fear, and perhaps became quite angry at God and life. Perhaps you are in that place right now. There is hope in the Lord.

We dare not fail this test because it will engender negative consequences for us and those we love. Those we love are watching how we navigate life in relationship to our faith in the Lord. Our obedience will positively impact our friends and families, not to mention our own lives. 

The Bible encourages us by telling us what will be the outcome for those who refuse to abandon their hope in God and his promises.

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36  For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. Hebrews 10:35-36 (ESV)

Our ability to survive and thrive in the midst of the strains and confusion of life depends on our holding to the following three convictions or anchors.

1. God is loving and good. Satan seeks to cut the line to this anchor of faith, and, if he does, we have little to hold us. However, if we maintain our confidence that God is loving and good, despite our circumstances or past experiences, we will be able to overcome adversity. God is glorified when we make this choice.
2. God is powerful. This anchor of conviction upholds that God is sovereign over all things. He is not in a struggle against evil in which the outcome is in doubt. He is not evenly matched against some evil foe. He is the Supreme Being in whom we can fully trust him at all times. Jesus’ resurrection sealed the doom of Satan and the certainty of our eternal inheritance once and for all.
3. God is working all things for my good and his glory. This anchor is the logical outcome of believing the first two points above and is where the victory in our minds and hearts is won. Romans 8:28 states that everything is being worked out for our good by a loving and powerful God. He will be glorified in and through us if we maintain our confidence through the test.

These three anchors of faith give us a reason to make the choice to praise God for his goodness, his power, and for working all things out for his glory and our best interests. We can choose to praise God despite our natural inclination to wallow in fear, doubt, and self-pity. We are able to choose to praise him even when our emotions are flat or even depressed. We can praise him for who he is, what he has promised, and what we believe he will do on our behalf!

When we offer to God the sacrifice of praise in the midst of confusing and difficult situations, it is a God-glorifying act of faith and  a powerful spiritual weapon.

Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands— 7  to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8  to bind their kings with shackles and their leaders with iron chains, 9  to execute the judgment written against them. This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones. Praise the LORD! Psalm 149:6-9 (NLT)  

Through holding on to the anchor of faith and choosing to offer God praise we can transition from hopelessness and fear to a place of peace and victorious faith.

We can experience what it means to be an overcomer, all because we make the choice to trust God and his promises in spite of all that is opposed to us. We will have an anchor for the soul that cannot be moved!