Day 8 - Anchor (Hillsong Worship)
What’s in a name?
When Charmaine and I were eagerly waiting to start a family and have kids, we talked about their possible names. In fact, people asked us what we might name our kids! There is a fascination with what babies will be called. Sometimes, when you know people’s story, and know them well, you can have a good stab at figuring out what their child might be called.
Some names just suit the person, I mean Usain Bolt, Albert Einstein, they all hit the mark don’t they! One ‘famous’ name which does the opposite is from the world of economics, certainly seemingly an outlier, is the name, Adam Smith! A remarkable name, with the simplest, plainest name you could ask for!
A name is important! I think of people in the Bible, their name meant something. God turned Abram into Abraham, changing his name’s meaning into ‘Father of Many Nations.’ In Hebrews 6, we are told in v 13-14 that:
Now when God made a promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater than himself, he swore an oath on his own integrity to keep the promise as sure as God exists! So he said: “Have no doubt, I promise to bless you over and over, and give you a son and multiply you without measure!”
The names of Bolt, Einstein, Smith, they all point to something, an achievement, a record, an invention, but what about their character? The annuals of history are remarkable silent on them, as to whether they could be trusted. But, here, God promises, on his own integrity, that His promises would be kept! This is not a mere man, making a promise, this is the Creator God, the name about all names, King of all Kings – what a promise for Abraham.
Anchor, by Hillsong, was written partly out of a desperate situation (where one of the songwriter’s wives had just miscarried), where God’s promises where so important to hold on to. And if I’m honest, I’m been there too, in situations, facing challenges, which seem insurmountable in my own strength, where all I can do is to take God at His Word, and at His Name. And, what a hope we have in that – His Word AND His Name.
A couple of lyrics from this song remind us that:
There is hope in the promise of the cross
You gave everything to save the world You love
And this hope is an anchor for my soul
Our God will stand unshakable
An anchor is used to secure a ship, to stop it being carried away by the wind and waves. Sometimes, we need to anchor ourselves to God, knowing that He is unshakable, that He is more than capable of holding us secure and safe.
The bridge of the song is impacting:
Your Name is higher
Your Name is greater
All my hope is in You
Your word unfailing
Your promise unshaken
All my hope is in You
We can put our confidence in Him, because His Name is higher and greater, and His Word, the Bible, is unfailing. Abraham took God at His promise, we can do the same – we are reminded in Romans 8, v 31 (MSG) onwards:
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?
What confidence we have, in God’s promises, His character, His Word, His Name!
Think it over / Meditate on:
Listen to this song (https://youtu.be/87GYkLfQQ-8) and sing it over the situations in your life where you need reminding that God is Higher & Greater.
What areas are you trying to do it in your own strength? Sing this and surrender those fully to God, submit them to God’s truths.
When all seems shaken, His promises are unshakeable, His Word is unshakeable, His Name is infallible, HE IS UNSHAKEABLE – pray that as a declaration today.
Written by Senior Pastor Tim