“Don’t forget to tie up your boat,” were the words that jumped off the journal’s tattered page at Pipe Creek cabin on Tustumena Lake.
Upon arriving at the cabin, we unpacked our goods for the week and had lunch as we leafed through the journal. We had secured our boat to the trees, so we heeded the journal’s warning and were at peace.
Tustumena Lake is not known for being a peaceful lake. Strong winds coming off the glacier of this immense 25-mile lake give it a reputation for being very dangerous to those navigating its turbid waters.
As we slept in our secure cabin, we did not foresee the effects of the mighty, rolling waves churning outside our doorway. We awoke that morning to the discovery of water in our boat and learned two other boating lessons: park your boat in the right direction; and despite the weather report, always plan for the worst.
These boating lessons remind me of the importance of applying similar truths in navigating through life’s ups and downs. The Bible is a collection of God’s words to guide creation in the best way to know Him and live in relationship with Him in a broken world. The book of Hebrews was written to exhort discouraged Christians to continue strong with Jesus. We can lean into God and His promises that he will support and guide us.
Hebrews 1 explains how God has chosen to reveal Himself to creation through His Son, Jesus, who is the culmination of the complete superiority of who He is and what He did for us. Verse 3 says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Jesus not only is the exact picture of God, but He gives humanity an example on how to live.
I find great comfort in God’s promise that He also has the power to “sustain all things.” This meaning is not a passive “maintaining,” like the mythical Atlas holding up the Earth, but it conveys the idea of actively sustaining.
While Jesus was on earth, He demonstrated the power of His word as He healed, forgave wrongs, and calmed nature’s fury. His “sustaining” power is still available today to anchor us in whatever storms of life we face — whether large or small. Our relationships, finances, health, and morality will all be put to the test at some point.
While life’s challenges can be discouraging, these times provide opportunities to trust in a God who is available and willing to help us overcome. Jesus completed His earthly mission to save humanity through his death and resurrection. Because of this great act of love and sacrifice, we can be confident of His guidance in the storms that will come.
Just like a rope, connected to an anchor can provide grounding in rough waters, God promises to sustain us in all our trials and mistakes, and to show us His strength is sufficient and His purposes are good.
What situation in your life needs God’s sustaining power and how will you let him anchor you?
Frank Alioto is the Pastor of Roots Family Church (907-252-0036) and serves as a chaplain in our community.
