Five Promises for the Storms of Life
When the cargo vessel Bonnie G left port in St. Croix on October 3, 2023, it was just another routine transport within the U.S. Virgin Islands. Except this run would be the ship’s last.
The vessel encountered higher winds than forecasted, so the decision was made to anchor until the weather improved. Bonnie G’s captain released 135 feet of chain to set the anchor—yet he was relying on a faulty assessment of the water depth. It was a disastrous error. Due to the windy conditions, the anchor chain actually needed to be two or three times that amount.
The unsecured ship drifted aground into a rock, crashing the hull beyond repair. The captain and crew on board were safely rescued but the Bonnie G, valued at a constructive loss of $1.5 million, couldn’t be salvaged.
The anchor did not hold.
An Anchor of the Soul
Unlike Bonnie G’s anchor, Christians have an anchor for the soul that cannot fail during the raging storms of life. The chain of our divine anchor is always ample; it reaches far into the heavens instead of sinking into the deep blue sea. Running adrift is inconceivable, sinking is illogical—for this heavenly anchor has a name: Jesus.
The Anchor of our souls is eternally secure.
The writer of Hebrews painted the glorious picture of Jesus, our great high priest under the New Covenant, ripping open the curtain into the holy of holies for redeemed sinners to follow Him right into God’s holy presence. On the cross, Jesus’ body was torn so that we now have direct access to the Father through the perfect blood sacrifice of His Son.
Since it’s impossible for God to lie, our hope in His promises is tightly anchored to the unshakeable Rock. Each one will arrive safely at its designated port because Jesus says so. Every beyond-belief promise begins and ends in the Father and is secured by His Son.
So, why don’t we always live like God’s promises are iron-clad? Is it because we fear He’ll take back His promises like your father, mother, friend, or husband did? Are we performing to make God happy so He doesn’t retract His words? Could it be we’ve forgotten the covenant vows He’s made, or perhaps, we don’t know them at all?
Whether it’s fear, lack of knowledge, or faith, let’s reorient our hearts by anchoring them to these five precious promises of God.
Five Promises to Anchor Your Life
1. When you feel forgotten: the promise of being remembered
We’re good at forgetting—the location of our car keys, the password to a website, the items on a grocery list left on the kitchen counter, or the toothbrush that doesn’t get packed. Humans are forgetful.
The Lord is good at remembering; He doesn’t have memory issues like us. He knows each of His children intimately. When the Bible says that God doesn’t forget you, it actually goes much deeper—figuratively, your name is inscribed on His hands as a testimony of His constant love.
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or lack compassion for the child of her womb?
Even if these forget,
yet I will not forget you.
Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.” (Isaiah 49:15–16)
2. When you feel alone and isolated: the promise of being seen
Hagar must have shared these distressing emotions after Abraham expelled her and Ishmael from his home in Genesis 21. But God had His eye on Hagar in the desert; she didn’t escape His notice. When their waterskin was empty, He not only saw—He took action on her behalf. God opened her eyes to find the well He provided to sustain them.
Even when no one else is watching, God has His eye on you too. You are never alone. He’s fighting for you in a million ways even though it’s invisible to the human eye. Neither are your sin and failures hidden from His sight—yet He isn’t repelled by them. He sees the perfect righteousness of His Son and draws near the humble, repentant heart to forgive and restore.
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry for help. (Psalm 34:15)
3. When no one else understands your pain: the promise of being heard
No one understands pain like your Father. Whether your cries are expressed without words in agonizing sorrow or shrieked at the top of your lungs in unfathomable anguish, God knows and cares about all the details of your life.
Without you telling Him, He alone understands your unique circumstances and the cause of your pain. There’s no searing heartache He cannot comprehend because God gave His only beloved Son to die on a cross for sin-wrecked rebels. Take comfort that the Lord isn’t distant or uncaring. Your God is near.
The LORD is near all who call out to him,
all who call out to him with integrity.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry for help and saves them. (Psalm 145:18–19)
4. When your soul is shaky: the promise of being at rest
There’s a place to go to when there are no answers. There’s a Person to turn to when the load you’re carrying is too heavy to bear. Looking to Jesus, it’s possible to set your heart at peace while suffering through impossible situations. Jesus beckons everyone to come—at any time, from any place.
The Savior invites you to lay your worries at His feet—all of them. He offers a supernatural rest that doesn’t result from a power nap. It’s not a superficial, short-term solution. His rest goes deeper; it’s infusion therapy for the soul. The rest of Jesus teaches, refreshes, and lightens your burdens.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)
5. When you’re exhausted and can’t keep going: the promise of being carried
You cannot will yourself to keep going or pull up your bootstraps when you are depleted. Don’t pull down the shades and give in to the enemy’s lies. There’s a way to move forward that’s yours for the asking—“Carry me!”
The One who created and knows your frame holds you up when it feels like you’re running in lead-lined boots. Whether you’re old or young, you can count on Him to hold you close and carry you for as long as you need. God promises, “I will!” Throughout our lives, from beginning to end, God never changes.
“I will be the same until your old age,
and I will bear you up when you turn gray.
I have made you, and I will carry you;
I will bear and rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4)
Host Fast to Jesus
The promises of God buoy our hearts until we make the final journey home. But I must warn you that the world charts a radically different course. It promotes worship of self instead of the true living God. It clings to faulty anchors of affirmation: knowing your personal truth, relying on your inner strength, elevating your self-worth, or trusting the voice within. These deadly anchors are the antithesis of the gospel, which is knowing, loving, and serving a crucified, risen, and reigning Savior, denying self, believing His truth, and discovering your invaluable identity and worth in Him.
Man-made anchors give false security and steer your life into the perilous rocks. To avoid their lure, rehearse God’s enduring promises each day. Hold fast to the only Anchor that never fails.
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