The Anchor Holds

© Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.

-          Seneca, 5-65.

   To see hurricane Katrina (and other hurricanes, tornadoes and typhoons etc.) as a TV-viewer wreaking havoc is always terrifying … to actually feel it hitting landfall, as one of those unfortunate enough to have been in its way at the time, must be totally devastating.  The combination of wind and water going berserk is one of the most destructive forces on Earth.  Says Booth & Fitch: “Hurricanes, or tropical cyclones, probably originate from from waves in the tropical easterly air-flow, particularly when atmosphere is in an unstable condition to the height of the westerly subtropical jet stream.  Their energy source is the ocean water which, when evaporated, converts latent heat into kinetic energy and real heat which spirals rapidly upwards around a calm central column, or eye, of descending cooler stratospheric air.  The winds spiralling round the eye, clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the southern, transfer the heat collected from the ocean surface to the cold sink of the upper atmosphere and in doing so create rapidly rotating storm systems 50-500 miles across … hurricanes are most dangerous immediately after they come ashore.”  (Booth & Fitch: 201-202).

   This is the reason that I will always believe that explorers (Christopher Columbus, Vasco Da Gama, Diaz etc.), sailors, skippers, fisherman, marine biologists, navy marines, deepsea divers, underwater cameramen/photographers and all those making their living off the sea and from the oceans (pirates courteously excluded) are, in my pathetic little democratic opinion, some of the bravest people on Earth.  Stories of shipwreck and death and survival at sea abound, with such cases as Titanic a classic case in point. 

   Even in the Bible the Apostle Paul’s hectic time at sea is a poignant reminder of the lethal power of storms at sea:

Acts 27:13  And a south wind blowing softly, thinking to have obtained their purpose, lifting anchor, they sailed along close beside Crete.

Acts 27:14  But not long after, a stormy wind called Euroclydon beat down on it.

Acts 27:15  And the ship being seized, and not being able to beat against the wind, giving way we were borne along.

Acts 27:16  And running under an islet being called Clauda, we hardly were able to become masters of the boat;

Acts 27:17  which taking, they used helps, undergirding the ship. And fearing lest they should fall into the sandbanks of Syrtis, lowering the tackle, so they were borne along.

Acts 27:18  And being exceedingly storm-tossed with a tempest, they made a casting on the next day;

Acts 27:19  And on the third day we threw out the ship's tackle with our hands.

Acts 27:20  And neither sun nor stars appearing in many days, and no small tempest pressing hard, now all hope that we would be saved was taken away.

Acts 27:21  But there being much fasting, then standing up in their midst, Paul said, O men, being obedient to me you ought not to have set sail from Crete, and to have come by this harm and loss.

Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there will be no casting away of life among you, only of the ship.

Acts 27:23  For tonight an angel of God stood beside me, whose I am and whom I serve,

Acts 27:24  saying, Fear not, Paul! You must stand before Caesar. And behold! God has given you all those who sail with you.

Acts 27:25  Therefore, men, be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it will be so, according to the way it was told me.

Acts 27:26  But we must fall on a certain island.

Acts 27:27  But when the fourteenth night came, we being carried about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors thought that they drew near some country.

Acts 27:28  And sounding they found it twenty fathoms; and moving a little further, and sounding again, they found it fifteen fathoms.

Acts 27:29  And fearing that we would fall on rocks, and casting four anchors out of the stern, they wished day to come.

Acts 27:30  But the sailors seeking to flee out of the ship, and lowering the boat into the sea, pretending to be about to cast out anchors from the prow,

Acts 27:31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Unless these remain in the ship, you cannot be saved.

Act 27:32  Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the boat, and let her fall.

Acts 27:33  And until day was about to come, Paul begged all to take food, saying, This is the fourteenth day that you continued waiting without food, having taken nothing.

Acts 27:34  Therefore I beg you to take some food, for this is for your deliverance. For not a hair of your head shall perish.

Acts 27:35  And saying these things, and taking bread, he gave thanks to God before all, and breaking, he began to eat.

Acts 27:36  And all becoming cheered, they also took food.

Acts 27:37  And we were, all the souls in the ship, two hundred and seventy-six.

Act 27:38  And being filled with food, they lightened the ship, throwing the wheat into the sea.

Acts 27:39  And when day came, they did not recognize the land. But they discovered a certain bay with a beach, into which they were minded, if they were able, to drive the ship.

Acts 27:40  And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea; at the same time they loosened the rudder bands and hoisted up the foresail to the wind and held to the shore.

Acts 27:41  And coming on a place between two seas, they drove the vessel. And indeed the prow sticking fast, it remained unmovable. But the stern was broken with the violence of the waves.

Acts 27:42  And the mind of the soldiers was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out and escape.

Acts 27:43  But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, kept them from their purpose and commanded those who could swim, to throw themselves overboard, to go out on the land.

Acts 27:44  And the rest went, some on boards and others on some of the things from the ship. And so it happened that all were saved on the land.  (MKJV, eSword).

   I suppose we all (sometimes) have our own personal storms, hurricanes, typhoons and tornadoes to contend with … in the shape of adversity, hardship, failure and/or some debilitating, devastating loss, so aptly referred to by Napoleon Hill and others as ‘The University of Hard Knocks’.  This song, The Anchor Holds, describing the plucky faith and perseverance of the humble, brave believer in the face of adversity, is a strong personal favourite.

YouTube

The Anchor Holds

( Words & Music by Lawrence Chewning & Ray Boltz, b.1953/© 1994 Word Music, Inc.)

I have journeyed

Through the long, dark night

Out on the open sea

By faith alone

Sight unknown

And yet His eyes were watching me

CHORUS

The anchor holds

Though the ship is battered

The anchor holds

Though the sails are torn

I have fallen on my knees

As I faced the raging seas

The anchor holds

In spite of the storm

I've had visions

I've had dreams

I've even held them in my hand

But I never knew

They would slip right through

Like they were only grains of sand

CHORUS
I have been young
But I am older now
And there has been beauty
That these eyes have seen
But it was in the night
Through the storms of my life
Oh, that's where God proved
His love to me.

CHORUS (REPEAT)

The anchor holds

Though the ship is battered

The anchor holds

Though the sails are torn

I have fallen on my knees

As I faced the raging seas

The anchor holds

In spite of the storm.

Piet Stassen

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibabre Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.  Andrews, Allen (1969) Quotations For Speakers And Writers. Newnes Books. London.

2.  Booth, Basil & Fitch, Frank (1979) Earth Shock: Can the Earth Survive its Natural Catastrophes? Sphere Books Ltd.  London. 

3. Dreamstime.com. 'The Mans Storm At Sea' (ID 987088). Accessed At < http://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/storm-sea.html> [online] 2013. 

4.  LyricsMode. 'The Anchor Holds'. Accessed At <http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/ray_boltz/the_anchor_holds.html> [online] 2013.