My Anchor Holds

Though the angry surges roll on my tempest driven soul, I am peaceful, for I know,
Wildly thought the winds may blow, I've an anchor safe and sure, that can evermore endure.

And it holds, my anchor holds: Blow your wildest, then, O gale, On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail, For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.

I can feel the anchor fast, As I meet each sudden blast, And the cable, though unseen, Bears the heavy strain between;
Through the storm I safely ride, Till the turning of the tide.

And it holds, my anchor holds: Blow your wildest, then, O gale, On my bark so small and frail;
By his grace I shall not fail, For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.

Written by William Martin

For some reason, this song has been stuck in my mind all morning. I work with children during both of our Sunday morning services, which invariably means quite a bit of time walking through the hallways (our church is very large) helping people find their classes, so it's possible someone was singing or playing it in one of the rooms. Thus it's finding it's way into my head;)

While I like many of the modern Christian songs that have been written, nothing to me is quite as stirring as the old-time hymns. As a girl of 8 or 9 years I knew almost every song in the hymnbook by heart. The songs of Fannie Crosby and the Wesley brothers were some of my favorites. My father used to read to me the stories behind the writing of many of the hymns, and they fascinated me as well.

If you don't know this song, it may seem almost depressing, talking about the difficulties (figuratively) we go through in life. However, if you hear the music with the words, it is the exact opposite; it is uplifting, and speaks of a strength that is stronger than any strength we as humans could hope to possess. It reminds us that, regardless of what difficult things come to us in life (and they will) we don't have to handle it alone. I love the part that says "And the cable, though unseen, bears the heavy strain between", because it reminds me that when a situation is out of my hands, it's not out of God's.