Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. Acts 27:29
What a wild night it was aboard that ship! Everyone on board, and especially the crew, were exhausted after two weeks of being driven helplessly by a raging storm. Despite their exhaustion, they remained at their stations, and did everything they could to make sure the ship was as safe as possible. They continually kept taking soundings, to determine how deep the water was, so they could know if they were nearing land. Around midnight, they found the depth to be 20 fathoms. That put them on high alert. A short time later, they sounded and found 15 fathoms. That brought them into swift action, because they realized that they were nearing land of some kind. And because it was so dark, they could not see what they were approaching. The danger of crashing into rocks was very high. To prevent such a catastrophe, they readied four anchors and dropped them from the stern, to try to bring the ship to a standstill in the sea. The uncertainty of their situation was almost unbearable. If only they could see! But they had to wait.
The unusual use of four anchors shows how desperate the sailors were. Even at that, they were not sure that the ship was safe. You and I have four anchors that we can use, too, in the storms of life, but we can have complete confidence that they will hold securely. The first anchor is the Word of God, which provides us with our spiritual nourishment and with the comfort of God’s precious promises to us. The storms of uncertainty and doubt and trouble all around us are no match for the certainty that the Word of God holds for us. The second anchor is prayer. At no time is the Christian any more than a heartbeat away from direct contact with the Almighty. As our Father, He delights when we come to Him with our petitions, regardless of our circumstances. And when the storms are raging, His nearness and His open ear can give us all of the confidence and support that we need. Another great anchor is the fellowship of the Lord’s people. God has not left us to ourselves and it is His purpose that His people provide each other the encouragement and help that we need. The last, but surely not least, of the four anchors is the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is identified in the Scriptures as the Comforter. This role He is always ready to fill, regardless of the intensity of the storms and troubles in which we find ourselves.
It is striking that the sailors wished that it was daylight as they waited out the storm. We can relate to that. Few days go by that the Lord’s people do not echo the words of the apostle John, as he considered the coming of our Lord: ‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus’ (Revelation 22:20). That glorious day is soon to break. And its light will not reveal the extent of the peril, as the sailors in our text sought to see. But it will reveal the extent of the eternal calm that the Lord is bringing us into. – Jim MacIntosh