Anchored And Secure
Natalie McClatchey
Our family recently attended ZipWorld in Llechwedd, Wales. We participated in a lengthy obstacle course in a former slate mine cavern, featuring thirteen zip-lines, rope bridges and tightropes with drops of over one hundred feet.
Prior to the course, we undertook training from an expert guide. We learned about the various safety features of our equipment, and that we would be anchored at all times to a strong metal cable. Once we tethered ourselves to the start of the line, we would be connected to that cable until the very end of the course.
After our first zip-line, we had to inch our way over an abyss, supported underfoot only by a wobbly chain. I would like to say that the initial step was the hardest, but that would not be true! Every step that I shuffled across the chain caused my legs to tremble – and the chain to shudder. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time!
Upon exiting the chain, I then had to stretch my legs to reach tiny footholds embedded in a cliff wall, becoming painfully aware of how short my legs actually are, as I nervously ascended to the next platform. At times it felt like there was nothing to grasp onto, and that I didn’t have what was physically required to complete the course.
Our adventurous experience reminded me of what life is like at times. Sometimes we feel as though we are edging across a precarious chasm of an unknown future. We don’t know what next week or next year will bring us, and that can be very daunting! When we look down, it feels as though our only support is flimsy - the tightrope we balance on could tip us at any moment into potential disaster.
Fortunately for us, we are fastened securely to Christ, our anchor. Our relationship with Him gives us the assurance of being able to walk through the perils of life without fear, safe in the knowledge that He holds us firmly. Hebrews 6:19 describes the hope and assurance of our salvation as ‘an anchor for the soul’.
While it feels as though we could stumble, fail and fall, the truth is that our hand is held by the Most High, the Creator of the universe (Isaiah 41:13). Who better to navigate the rocky paths of life, than with the One who writes the future?
Furthermore, isn’t it wonderful that we have been trained for life by an expert guide, the Bible? Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path”. We are also promised in Psalm 32:8 (NLT) that God will, “guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you”.
As I walked across one of the final challenges of the day, a shaky rope across yet another crevasse, I was reminded of a verse in Habakkuk 3:19: “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights”. Oh boy, did I pray that over myself!
And as I conclude this reflection today, it is my prayer that God would also be your strength. I would like to encourage you to, “Give your burdens to the Lord. He will carry them. He will not permit the godly to slip or fall” (Psalm 52:22, TLB).
