IN TIMES LIKE THESE
“Does God listen to his cry when distress comes upon him? Will he find delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times? I will teach you about the power of God; the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.†Job 27:9-11
What a day we are living in! Gas prices go up, while the value of the dollar goes down. Unemployment, health care and the housing crisis are acknowledged by politicians, and each claims to have a solution, yet doing right versus doing wrong often escapes our elected officials. Often they cannot even agree on right and wrong.
On top of it all, you are in a marriage crisis.
An old hymn reminds us that:
In Times Like These
In times like these you need a Savior,
In times like these you need an anchor;
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
This Rock is Jesus, yes He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
Copyright 1944 by Singspiration Music, renewal 1972.
Used by Permission CCLI # 1273562
Fort Lauderdale, the large city near us, has as its nickname, “The Venice of America.†This title can be rightly claimed because at one time, in my lifetime, Fort Lauderdale had more miles of canals than paved streets. Like our city, Pompano Beach, each year has a Christmas parade and a boat parade, with dozens of decorated water crafts. Boat dealers are everywhere. Our neighbor navigates huge yachts, hundreds of feet long, all over the world.
When any of those yachts have problems, the first thing they do is drop anchor. If they had an emergency and did not drop anchor, the yacht would soon be driven into a seawall or bridge by the currents. Once the anchor is dropped, the yacht is safe, and the problem can be addressed from a viewpoint of other than as an emergency.
When marriage problems temporarily disable a family, the first step should be for one spouse to drop anchor. If not, the currents of public opinion from family, friends, counselors, and churches, could soon drive that person into something that might damage and sink their marriage, once and for all.
The initial stage of marriage problems is a desperate stage. We know, because Charlyne and I lived through those days many times during our first 19 years of marriage. Each time, we would keep bailing water on our own and put another temporary patch on our ship of marriage. That would hold until we hit another hidden hazard on the sea of matrimony. Not until after we sank in divorce court, did Charlyne “drop anchor†and start, with the help of God, to do her part in starting to overhaul the boat of our marriage.
Men and women who are facing a marriage emergency are, at first, desperate people. They attempt to stabilize the marriage by dropping anchor anywhere they can. Some drop anchor in the opinions of friends. Others start out to drop anchor in divorce and starting over with someone new. People will drop anchor anywhere help is promised them, without regard to the validity of the source. Others even pay excessive charges to be allowed to drop anchor in some program promising to heal their marriage. Sooner or later, each of these anchors will tear loose and the individuals, once again, find themselves adrift.
Our sons have both had boats. It is a fact of life that boating is often as much about keeping the boat running as it is about actually having the boat move along the water. Nevertheless, neither boy ever decided to sink his boat because the motors were sputtering. Why then, do people decide to jump overboard from their marriage because of temporary problems?
If you are attempting to maneuver today in a marriage that is in trouble the first thing you must do is drop anchor, protecting yourself and your family from future damage until you, your spouse and your marriage can be tuned up by the Manufacturer, our Lord God.
If you are sputtering along today, not knowing if you will make shore, you need to anchor in the Rock, our Lord Jesus Christ. As the Bible tells us, He is ...an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Place your trust in Him alone today. Stop looking at and listening to others, but allow Jesus to be your Navigator through this storm.
Our community has something else that many areas do not. We have several tow services for stranded boats. They seek out stranded boats and tow them to a dock or repair shop, for a hefty fee. In one incident, two competing tow boat operators ended up in a fist fight on the deck of a luxury yacht, stranded in the ocean off our coast. After the Coast Guard arrived, one man was arrested and the other ended up towing the disabled yacht.
If your marriage has become disabled, two opposing forces are vying to help you. Satan, the enemy of your soul, wants to steer you into the generational curse of divorce, possibly causing generations of your family yet unborn to not enjoy all they are created to be, to have and to enjoy. People may miss Heaven as a result of the effects of your divorce. On the opposite side, the Holy Spirit, the way God reveals Himself to us, is inviting you to allow Jesus to take over what is not working in your life and family today. In the Bible, the book of Ephesians tells about this unseen spiritual battle.
May this be the day that you decide to drop anchor, once and for all, on the Rock of Ages, the Lord Jesus. He can calm any storm that may come your way.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20
Because He lives,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
“Does God listen to his cry when distress comes upon him? Will he find delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times? I will teach you about the power of God; the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.†Job 27:9-11
What a day we are living in! Gas prices go up, while the value of the dollar goes down. Unemployment, health care and the housing crisis are acknowledged by politicians, and each claims to have a solution, yet doing right versus doing wrong often escapes our elected officials. Often they cannot even agree on right and wrong.
On top of it all, you are in a marriage crisis.
An old hymn reminds us that:
In Times Like These
In times like these you need a Savior,
In times like these you need an anchor;
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
This Rock is Jesus, yes He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus, the only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
Copyright 1944 by Singspiration Music, renewal 1972.
Used by Permission CCLI # 1273562
Fort Lauderdale, the large city near us, has as its nickname, “The Venice of America.†This title can be rightly claimed because at one time, in my lifetime, Fort Lauderdale had more miles of canals than paved streets. Like our city, Pompano Beach, each year has a Christmas parade and a boat parade, with dozens of decorated water crafts. Boat dealers are everywhere. Our neighbor navigates huge yachts, hundreds of feet long, all over the world.
When any of those yachts have problems, the first thing they do is drop anchor. If they had an emergency and did not drop anchor, the yacht would soon be driven into a seawall or bridge by the currents. Once the anchor is dropped, the yacht is safe, and the problem can be addressed from a viewpoint of other than as an emergency.
When marriage problems temporarily disable a family, the first step should be for one spouse to drop anchor. If not, the currents of public opinion from family, friends, counselors, and churches, could soon drive that person into something that might damage and sink their marriage, once and for all.
The initial stage of marriage problems is a desperate stage. We know, because Charlyne and I lived through those days many times during our first 19 years of marriage. Each time, we would keep bailing water on our own and put another temporary patch on our ship of marriage. That would hold until we hit another hidden hazard on the sea of matrimony. Not until after we sank in divorce court, did Charlyne “drop anchor†and start, with the help of God, to do her part in starting to overhaul the boat of our marriage.
Men and women who are facing a marriage emergency are, at first, desperate people. They attempt to stabilize the marriage by dropping anchor anywhere they can. Some drop anchor in the opinions of friends. Others start out to drop anchor in divorce and starting over with someone new. People will drop anchor anywhere help is promised them, without regard to the validity of the source. Others even pay excessive charges to be allowed to drop anchor in some program promising to heal their marriage. Sooner or later, each of these anchors will tear loose and the individuals, once again, find themselves adrift.
Our sons have both had boats. It is a fact of life that boating is often as much about keeping the boat running as it is about actually having the boat move along the water. Nevertheless, neither boy ever decided to sink his boat because the motors were sputtering. Why then, do people decide to jump overboard from their marriage because of temporary problems?
If you are attempting to maneuver today in a marriage that is in trouble the first thing you must do is drop anchor, protecting yourself and your family from future damage until you, your spouse and your marriage can be tuned up by the Manufacturer, our Lord God.
If you are sputtering along today, not knowing if you will make shore, you need to anchor in the Rock, our Lord Jesus Christ. As the Bible tells us, He is ...an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Place your trust in Him alone today. Stop looking at and listening to others, but allow Jesus to be your Navigator through this storm.
Our community has something else that many areas do not. We have several tow services for stranded boats. They seek out stranded boats and tow them to a dock or repair shop, for a hefty fee. In one incident, two competing tow boat operators ended up in a fist fight on the deck of a luxury yacht, stranded in the ocean off our coast. After the Coast Guard arrived, one man was arrested and the other ended up towing the disabled yacht.
If your marriage has become disabled, two opposing forces are vying to help you. Satan, the enemy of your soul, wants to steer you into the generational curse of divorce, possibly causing generations of your family yet unborn to not enjoy all they are created to be, to have and to enjoy. People may miss Heaven as a result of the effects of your divorce. On the opposite side, the Holy Spirit, the way God reveals Himself to us, is inviting you to allow Jesus to take over what is not working in your life and family today. In the Bible, the book of Ephesians tells about this unseen spiritual battle.
May this be the day that you decide to drop anchor, once and for all, on the Rock of Ages, the Lord Jesus. He can calm any storm that may come your way.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20
Because He lives,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
