Your Anchor ~

When storm clouds come,

And waves are crashing.

When you, a small vessel;

Being tossed about.

O where do you sink your anchor?

When you are out to sea

With no land in sight.

When darkness comes in

As the dead of night.

O where do you sink your anchor?

VLB 5/13/2020

"LORD JESUS"

Be, with me, and prepare me for all the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity. the losses of substance, the death of friends, the days of darkness, the changes of life, and the last great change of all.  "May I find your grace sufficient for all my needs."

- from 'The Valley of Vision" a collection of Puritan Prayers.

It has been a long time since I looked at the lives of the Pilgrims and Puritans.  Both groups were a part the Anglican Church of England with one wanting to separate from the church, the Pilgrims "Separatists," and the Puritans wanting to change it from within, "nonseparating Congregationalists."  So I've read.  The Pilgrims came to the New World before the Puritans, both seeking to worship and practice their beliefs with freedom to do so.

I think I would have to say the Pilgrims may have had the right idea separating from the religious legalism not willing to bow down to the Anglican Church though it is not to say the Puritans were not trying to correct the legalism from within. I don't know enough of their history to say and I wasn't there, my grandkids might think differently according to their dad.  :)  God surely and only knows the hearts of man and will judge accordingly.  An interesting article on the difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans you can find on History channel.

I guess the reason for this post is that I read the Puritans prayer a few years back and wrote it in my journal.  While I certainly have thought on all the Pilgrims that paved a way and suffered hardships, the past few days I had been thinking about this prayer and thought I'd share.

I can only imagine what sailing the high seas to a New World would be like.  Both the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth in 1620 and the Puritans in 1631 landing I think in Boston, all had a mind set of religious freedoms.  This is something we as Americans cannot ignore as it is our inalienable rights. 

I think of everyone that is dealing with a lock down mode. Consider 66 days at sea in a small wooden cargo vessel around 80' long and 30' wide, carrying 102 passengers 40 of them saints.  I don't know anything on the voyage particulars for the Puritans, though I imagine it was quite hard as well.

These people stepped out in faith with a vision for freedom to worship God.  

Plimoth Plantation

I had read that the Pilgrims were spontaneous in their prayers and there is not a record at least that I have found of prayers they might of said.  I see they had prayers of thanksgiving as in Psalm 100 ~ KJV

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness:

come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God:

it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,

and into his courts with praise:

be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;

and his truth endureth to all generations.

I also liked three quotes I read from William Bradford.

Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, shew how He hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor.  When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them.  Let them confess before the Lord His loving kindness and His wonderful works before the sons of men.

Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness.

The LORD is the help of my life.

We too were delivered from the hand of the oppressor.  As the ban is being lifted and more people are trying to move forward and recover from all of this. 

While unsettling reasons thoughts, and theories continue to emerge, truth is being sought while tempers are flaring and your vessel is still being tossed about, 

O where do you sink your anchor?

The above photos of the Santa Maria that Columbus sailed were take in Baton Rouge when touring the Maritime Museum.  The replica tours sail from Spain still, that is did, though during "Rona."  It was something to see this small ship and imagine what sailing the seas would have been, humbling.  The link goes to photos shared by the local paper when it was docked. I show this to give you an idea of size.

I am often reminded when Paul asked of the Lord to remove the thorn from his side, God did not remove the thorn. 

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV 

so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6;18-20

I am praying and believing for everyone.  You will come through this season as you seek God, placing your trust in Him and remembering to be thankful in all circumstances - in all things - He is our source of strength.  

The first photo I took the picture of my son and the crew out for practice they were on USCG 47' patrol boat. It was a wonderful day watching and around Thanksgiving.