DCLM Daily Manna Monday 19 June 2023
TOPIC: Will Your Anchor Hold?
TEXT: Job 2:1-13 (KJV)
KEY VERSE:
“Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said… What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”
(Job 2:9-10)
DCLM Daily Manna Monday 19 June 2023 MESSAGE
The hymn, Will Your Anchor Hold, was written by Priscilla Owens. Mrs Owens was actively involved in the work among Christian youths and most of her hymns were composed for children. This song was specially composed and sung outside the door of a dying hymn writer, Mary Fawler Maude (author of Thine For Ever! God of love). After hearing the song, Mrs. Maude sent back the message, “Tell them that it does not fail – it holds”.
Job was a man whose anchor held in the turbulence of life’s seas. Serious tragedies befell him with the death of ten children and destruction of all his business in the previous chapter. In our reading today, further blows came from the devil to afflict him physically and emotionally. Not only did he battle boils all over his body, his wife had also lost all hope and even wanted him dead. She counselled him to curse God and die. Three friends came around but were no help because of the gravity of his sorrow.
While things were outwardly harsh for Job, God actually had confidence in him and his ability to remain faithful. That confidence was reflected in the answer he gave his wife when she got fed up. We must learn from Job who chose to hold on to God in the midst of a severe storm. When people are jumping ship, we must remain steadfast and trust the Lord to keep our ship afloat.
Today, as you go about your activities, let the lyrics of the hymn speak to you loudly. It asks pungently, “Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, When the clouds unfold their wings of strife? When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain, Will your anchor drift or firm remain?”
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Those anchored in Jesus will brave the storms of life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Colossians 1-4
