I don’t know how many songs, poems, and sermons have been made that portrays Life as a storm, a tempest, a gale, a rough sea, ad infinitum. But it’s true. Living on this earth is never a calm experience for long!
Great ships have long used some kind of weight – called ballast – to steady them as they sail the high seas. It causes them to rock and sway less with the waves. Modern ships take on water in ballast tanks, and upon entering a port of call, pump out the ballast water. But the point is, ballast is needed and necessary for them to be able to traverse the ocean, especially in stormy weather.
Every ship also has another vital piece of equipment: The anchor. The anchor is dropped whenever the need arises to stay in one place in a port without being tied off at a dock. (That’s a bit of simplification, but you see what I mean.)
For a Christian, spiritual ballast is made through prayer and reading God’s Word. The more we take in, the more we are prepared to face the storms that come along in our life. In fact, as we take in more and more spiritual ballast, we find we have enough to share with others who are going through difficult times. Unlike the sea-faring ships, we don’t “unload” it, but we share it to help others develop the ballast they need in their lives.
Perry Boardman penned this poem:
A Ballast for My Soul
Life is like a stormy sea
That tosses to and fro,
But God’s Word will ever be
A ballast for my soul;
By its truth I’ll be held fast
Till I reach heaven’s shore
Where I will be home at last
And sail life’s sea no more!
George Beverley Shea was involved with the Billy Graham Crusades for years. He often sang “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!
In times like these you need the Bible
In times like these, O be not idle
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!
In times like these I have a Savior
In times like these I have an anchor
I’m very sure, I’m very sure
My 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!
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” — Luke 8
His name is Jesus!
THE RIGHT RENDITION 