Anchor Points

As a writer, putting words to paper is not difficult. What is difficult, is coming up with a title that captures those words and the attention of potential readers. Which is why it surprises me that today, I am starting this post off with a title, and no words.

It started in church yesterday. As many of you may know, yesterday was Pentecost. A day of celebrating the Acts 2 event, when the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples and they were filled with power to go and spread the Gospel. You may or may not know that Pentecost was a Jewish holiday long before it became a Christian celebration. Shavuot, in Hebrew, or Pentecost, in Greek, is the holiday to celebrate the giving of the Torah to Moses at Mt. Sinai. In the times of Jesus, the Jewish people would pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Shavuot, to celebrate together. Pentecost takes place 50 days after the Passover - the week within which Jesus died. This is significant because when the Spirit fell upon the disciples - they were able to speak many different languages. Languages which were represented by the many pilgrims all around them. The pilgrims were able to hear the good news of Jesus in their own native tongue!

As we were discussing this special Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell and many Jewish people were evangelized, I thought, what a special day for the people. No matter what happened afterwards (and there was lots of persecution coming afterwards), they could always look back upon that day and remember and be encouraged and strengthened. 

It made me reflect on memories I have of encounters with God. Messages I've heard. Dreams I've had. Prophetic words I've received. Encouragement I've been given. I thought to myself, these encounters are like...

Anchor Points.

The term came to me out of the blue. I didn't know what it meant but I wrote it in my notes. I thought, I bet there's a blog in there somewhere...

So, I looked up the term, "anchor points". I thought it would have something to do with boats, and there is a nautical application there, but I found this much more interesting:

Anchor points are key for fall protection. Construction workers, roofers, skyscraper window washers, firefighters, rescue crews, and anyone at work in a potentially dangerous site without guardrails, use anchor points for safety. Rock and mountain climbers also use anchor points. An anchor point is a secure point of attachment to which a safety harness or lifeline will be connected. An anchor point must be on a fixed or solid surface. They must be sufficiently strong to be able to hold the weight of a person should he or she slip and fall.

Huh. 

I've heard it said - and in fact, I have said it myself - that when someone is hurt by the church or by religion, one thing which helped them to keep their faith was their own personal experiences of God.

Those experiences were their anchor points. They were knocked down, but the anchor points kept them from falling.

It's fascinating. We all know that there are times in our lives when God is silent (though I often believe He speaks more than we think, but we just aren't listening). What keeps us going during those times? What helps us when we feel as though God is distant, or our prayers are unanswered? 

We could fall away. Leave the church. Blur into agnosticism. 

Or...

We could hold onto our anchor points. Those experiences in our lives which we cannot explain other than they were from God. 

What makes anchor points so strong? It is not the point itself, but rather, what it is connected to. Anchor points, as noted, must be connected to a solid, secure surface. Something that will not be moved, no matter what. 

Our anchor points are so powerful because they are secured to God. God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God whose promises are everlasting. God whose love is never-ending. He can hold us when we fall. He can take our anger and our pain and our disappointment and our confusion and our disillusionment. If we are tethered to Him, He will never fail us.

It is terribly common for kids to grow up in the church and then leave once out on their own. I wonder if it is not because they didn't have enough anchor points to keep them from falling away. Too often we require so little of our kids when it comes to church. We teach them the rules, the dos and do nots and a vague sinner's prayer with all of its false promises. But do we truly allow them the opportunity to experience God? Or do we think them too young? Too young to understand worship, or prayer, or communion. Too young to truly hear God's voice and follow His leading. We think our anchor points are sufficient, and they may be, for a time. But ultimately, they need their own.

If they do not have real encounters with God, it is like sending them to free climb a mountainside with no lifeline at all. We should not be surprised if they fall. Churches should be working overtime to pour into our children, youth and young adults, providing them with opportunities to experience God in real and meaningful ways. Encouraging them to seek Him - so that He may be found.

What about you? What are the anchor points in your life? Do you have any?

When did you hear God speak? When did you see God move? When did you feel the Spirit embracing you? When did you see a supernatural answer to prayer? 

This isn't about sensationalism or show-stopping events. This is about interacting with and directly experiencing a God who desires to be in relationship with us. God has not left us here to fend by ourselves. He wants to engage with us. And when He does... it's unforgettable. These are memories and experiences we can hold onto through the difficult times and events we go through. These are our anchor points.

If you can't think of any, maybe it's time to seek God. To spend time on your knees in prayer, deep in Scripture, and back in church. God wants to meet with you. He loves you. Don't you want to spend time with the ones you love?

If you do have some, maybe consider writing them down. Putting them somewhere - perhaps tucked into your Bible or your prayer journal. Something you can look back upon when times are hard. When you wonder if your faith is in vain. When you doubt if God is there. When you're thinking about leaving the faith altogether.

Hold on.

He has given us anchor points for a reason.

Let them hold you up until you are ready to keep going.