Yesterday I studied the Bible with a man who doesn’t (physically) look like me. We are both of the same race (the human race), but our ethnicity is different. Also, our life experiences and cultures are a bit different. As we talked about what we see God saying to us in Scripture – our interpretations and opinions didn’t always match-up …BUT, we both absolutely, exclusively, and monogamously AGREED that Jesus was Lord, the only Son of God, eternally begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of the same essence as the Father; through Him all things were made; for us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven; He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human; He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; the 3rd day He rose again according to the Scriptures; He ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; and His Kingdom will never end. Therefore, and moreover, this gentleman and I also both agreed that the most primary, most important, most indispensable, most vital thing to be done to help the world right now is for us to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ as the Author and Perfecter of our faith!

 

Later in the day, while continuing to ponder and appreciate the sonship and  brotherhood I share with this man, I listened to the song “Anchor” by Beautiful Eulogy and Josh Garrels, and the lyrics resonated with my soul…

 

Anchor of my soul, You sustain. When I’m in the storm, You remain good to me.

 

When it’s a quarter past midnight, and the grey skies fade to black, the waves splash and set me off track – so my vessel might crash and collapse; when I’m attacked, and start wrestling in my head with these bad memories from my past – I’m aware of my guilt, overwhelmed, and the smell of my blood has the sharks that surround me cast under a spell – they waited for me to fall, but when I fell the water got still, and the blood that was spilled protects me – it’s the same blood that cleansed me – my only defense against my enemies. Now I can rest knowing that nothing can come against me unless the Father gives consent. Evil intentions will not disturb God’s purpose or interfere – so who shall I fear if my Anchor is secure? Learning to consider it pure joy when I’m facing tribulations – praising God instead of complaining or getting overtaken with bitterness. Looking at the pages of the book of James and seeing the ways that God works through the trials to make us more mature in our faith. It reminds me how desperate I am in this desert land, thirsty for Your mercy and plan while You give me strength to stand. You’re my greatest pleasure – Yeah, no matter the weather I face, Lord You never forsake my fragile life is safe under Your sovereign grace.

 

Anchor of my soul, You sustain. When I’m in the storm, You remain good to me.

 

At some point every human looks right in the eyes of agony, and through the tragedy, asks himself how can this happen to me? You might be the type with enough insight to hold on for your dear life but slip because your grip is not as tight as you might like – You ain’t immune to it, naw, and if you true to yourself then you ain’t new to it; trusted in self, lusted and lured to it. So when the darkness overwhelms me and the tide of life rises and swells “It is Well” is what compels me. When faced with adversity Your truth constantly reminds me that You command the seas with ease and with Words You’re turning wind to breeze. It helps me to understand that we stand on solid rock not sinking sand. Through the providence of pain You perfect Your plan – predestined to be tested when the works and the Words of God cooperate and educate men in the great gift of grace and faith. And even though it’s obvious when my outlook’s ominous, You’ve bound my heart and my conscience and gave me a constant calmness. So when the pain comes like rain from the parts of life that maintains its strain I can put my trust in The Hands that sustain. It’s profound that with all these sinking ships around me, He surrounds me and He anchors me with His grace abounding!

 

Anchor of my soul, You sustain. When I’m in the storm, You remain good to me.

 

And as I took these truths to heart, I thought to myself, “I bet my new friend …my eternal brother in Christ …my fellow full co-heir with Christ – who happens to be of a different ethnicity but the same race (the human race) – would agree with and appreciate what these guys are talking about! …I think I will share this with him the next time I see him, and exhort him to enjoy it on that very day, as long as it is called “today,” that he and I may not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

 

:::

 

And then later that day (just before Life Group) I thought, “The next time I see him, I am going to ask my brother what he thinks of John 4:29 and John 6:29!?” (…because these are paradigmatic passages for all my most substantive friendships).