Faith in Cambridge
By Murray Smith
It seems our planet is riddled with uncertainty. Covid-19 is surging again in Europe, nations are in turmoil socially and economically. The impact of the elections in the USA, not to mention the preceding months of division, unrest and violence contribute to the mix of global fear and anxiety.
Even ‘down-under’ as we process results of our own general election and of the two referenda, not everyone is upbeat…a palpable sense of vulnerability and lack of confidence is evident.
I write neither as a doomsday sayer nor a pessimist but as someone with a love for our community and sincere desire for the highest good for the people of our nation. Observing values once embraced being trashed provokes concern that all does not bode well for us. Like being caught in a ‘rip’ blithely unaware of its danger, we are being swept along by social ‘reform’ and liberalisation of standards heralded by some as enlightened and progressive.
A while ago I heard of a couple who were cruising New Zealand coastal waters in their beautiful luxury launch. They pulled into a bay late afternoon to shelter safely overnight. Having anchored and settled in for a tranquil evening, the wife casually proposed that she felt they were drifting. The husband confidently assured her they were not. Towards dusk the wife again, this time more emphatically stated she was sure they were dragging the anchor and had drifted considerably. She based her conclusions on visual bearings she had taken against a headland protruding from the bay and some islands further out to sea.
Yet again the husband disagreed with his wife’s observations telling her to relax. Later a strong wind had sprung up and the sea became choppy against a changing tide. At this point it became obvious they had indeed been drifting and were perilously close to lights on a rocky outcrop identifying a reef. Desperately doing everything he could to quickly start the engines and ‘weigh anchor’, the husband was unable to avoid what unfolded. The tide and wind conditions conspired to push the launch toward the reef. A wave picked the boat up and as it subsided it dumped the launch onto rocks splintering the hull below the water-line.
Abandoning the foundering vessel they escaped with their lives.
‘Drift’ over the last 20 years in terms of society’s values and morals is so apparent. Confidently believing we are modern masters of our own destiny, we’ve dragged the metaphorical ‘anchor’ considerably… we’ve been adrift with the majority of people scarcely being aware of it.
In Roman times vessels carried anchors (similar to modern day ones) inspiring Biblical writers to use the picture of an anchor to depict strength, security and safety. As an emblem of solidarity and hope it illustrated for Christian believers how God’s word provides an unequalled sense of peace and total security.
Being ‘anchored’ abolishes all fear of an uncertain future.
“If you fear, put all your trust in God: that anchor holds.” Hebrews 6:19
