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Setting Anchor in Your Spiritual Life

Growing up, I spent a lot of time on boats so I became familiar with navigating and sailing as well as the process of anchoring a boat.

Now an anchor is essential to making sure your boat isn’t swept up in a current or blown on the rocks in the middle of the night.

To set an anchor, my dad lowered the anchor, initially attached to a chain and then a rope into the sea. Once the anchor touched the bottom, my father would signal my mother to maneuver the boat in reverse. The process of backing down the boat would allow the prongs of the anchor to catch. We would literally feel the anchor set into the sea bottom.

As seasoned boaters, my parents knew this wasn’t enough. After the initial setting of the anchor, my mom would put on her mask and swim fins and dive off the side of the boat to visually check the anchor. Often the anchor set correctly, but sometimes she’d discover that only one prong of the anchor had set in the sea bottom. Sometimes she’d notice the anchor had caught on some coral but the slightest shift in current would set it free. She’d dive down and set the anchor by hand making sure we were secure for the night.

One of the questions I’ve been wrestling with is what really anchors me? What are the spiritual practices that anchor my soul in the reality of God?

As I’ve reflected, one of the anchors that’s I’ve been grateful for is a prayer that Leif and I pray for each other each night. One of the most potent prayers in all the Scripture, the words come from the book of Numbers. Known as the Aaronic blessing (after Aaron, Moses’s brother), it says:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

The prayer is powerful because it’s a rich blessing. When I pray these words, I’m calling on God to protect, show favor, demonstrate kindness, and dispense peace. Over the last eight years, Leif and I have prayed this prayer thousands of times, setting the anchor in our relationship with each other and God.

What are the spiritual anchors in your life? How are you setting anchor today?

*Photo courtesy of here