Hope for Your Heart: Finding Strength in Life's Storms by June Hunt Read Free Book Online

and he will make your paths straight.”
    I counted on God to be my security. I staked my life on Him. He was all I had. As a result, I began to learn one of life’s most precious lessons: God is all I need. And He is the Anchor that never fails . . . even when trouble hits, wave upon wave.
 
For the waves of death encompassed me,
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears. (2 Sam. 22:5–7 esv)
Anchoring Your Hope:
A Boat without a Rudder/A Ship
without a Sail
    It was a warm California day in June 2002. Richard Van Pham launched his twenty-six-foot sailboat to travel from Long Beach harbor to Catalina Island.
    As evening approached, a storm whipped around him. The winds were so treacherous, they broke the mast and rudder of his boat. To his dismay, when Van Pham attempted to call for help, his radio wouldn’t work and his motor wouldn’t start. Unable to control his boat, he was helplessly carried away by the wind and the waves.
    At age sixty-two, this Vietnamese immigrant had no idea that his three-hour sail was about to become a three-month saga that could only be described as terrifying. His intended twenty-five-mile voyage turned into a 2,500-mile journey of isolation and desperation. Because Van Pham had no other family members, no one initiated a search or filed a missing persons report.
    Each day he drifted at sea. Each day he looked for land but instead saw only boundless blue water. He survived by drinking rainwater and eating sea turtles, fish, and seagulls.
    Then on September 17, hoped-for rescue became reality. A Navy P-3 patrol plane on an anti-drug interdiction mission spotted the broken-down boat almost three hundred miles off the coast of Costa Rica. A nearby ship, the USS
McClusky
, plucked Van Pham from his crippled craft and took him to Guatemala. Back on solid ground, the sailor-turned-survivor finally flew back home. 3
    Memories loomed large for Van Pham when he revisited his lost-at-sea voyage. “I didn’t know where I was or where to go. For months I saw nothing . . . only water, sky, and seagulls.”
    Like this rescued man, many of us encounter unexpected crises in our lives. Storms whip around us, and we are blown off course. Suddenly we’re fighting for our lives, struggling to stay afloat. Can we have real hope of survival? Where can we find hope? Where can we turn for help?
    The psalmist tells us, “They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love.” 4
    Whatever storm you are experiencing, allow Christ to be your Anchor. He will keep you from hopelessly drifting. He will hold you both safe and secure.

3
YOUR UNFAILING ANCHOR
HOPE HOLDS YOU FIRMLY SECURE

Security:
Outmaneuvering the Enemy

    Not being a sailor, I had never thought much about anchors . . . until I began researching the topic of hope. First I looked at all the verses in the Bible on hope, and only one had a visual attached to it. Hebrews 6:19 (esv) says, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” I soon realized that this Scripture compares Christ . . . and hope . . . to a nautical anchor. I was intrigued. God could have used any number of objects.
Why anchors?
I wondered.
    Answering that question launched a fascinating treasure hunt—scouring nautical literature on the mechanics and purposes of anchors, then using my findings to draw conclusions about biblical applications.
    The more I learned about anchors, the more I appreciated the marvelous similarities between the holding power of an anchor and the holding power of Christ . . . discoveries that have changed my life and, I pray,