Anglican Morning Devotion for 15 September 2021 Anno Domini
The Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. 7Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Psalms 42:6-9; all scripture quoted is from the king James Version)
Where is the deep of your soul? Is it not in the secret chambers of your heart which is the Temple of God to those who are the chosen Elect of God? The text above parallels the physical experience as well as the spiritual one of Jonah in the belly of the whale. He was lost to the world. He was in the very depths of the sea. His spirit fainted within him. Jesus has told us that “just as Jonas was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so shall the son of man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” (Matthew 12:40)
“Deep calleth unto deep.” What does those four words mean? The Deep love of God sound as why a clarion across the vast stretches of time to the heart of the believer whose heart echoes that love back to Him more surely than a sonar sounding device. It is the Christian who best manifest the image of god that detects the sounds of the Deep and responds. “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Like a mighty Magnet that only draws metals of like nature is the manner in which the Deep of god calls unto the deep of the soul of man. “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;” (Hebrews 6:18-19)
What a blessed benefit to possess an Anchor of our Souls that holds in storm as well as safe haven. An anchor is designed to grab hold of the strong point at the depth of the sea and hold fast to keep the ship of our soul from drifting. The strongest point of grasp on the sea floor is a large rock which is immovable. Well, our souls have such a large Rock that does not move and cannot be moved – the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Anchor of Hope on the Sea of Life, and He resides in the Deep of our Hearts to prevent our drifting with every wind of doctrine. “Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. I will say unto God my rock,” Do we have that blessed loving kindness of God to be our comfort in the day and soothing song in the night to demonstrate His overwatching love even as we sleep in the night watches?
An anchor holds because it grabs hold of the immovable stone and will not permit our souls to drift in the turbulent waters of the storms of life. God does not remove the storm, but provides us a surety in the survival of every wave and billow. If the Rock of Christ is our anchors security, we will remain steady in the storm. But if our anchor is clawed into the shifting sands of the deep, we will drift with every blast of the storm and may suffer ship wreck. My Anchor is Christ, and my Surety is the Rock of the Deep that holds me.
Many years ago as a young man, I drifted aimlessly from one church to another. I found none that could satisfy my thirst for the knowledge and Spirit of God. I discussed this state of affairs with an old Army colonel one night at a social gathering. He counselled me thusly: “Young man, you need an Anchor to hold you in place and to keep you from drifting. You need to drive an Anchor into the Solid Rock of God’s Word and hold on for dear life!” It was only in following that old friend’s advice that I found an abiding peace and security no matter what man said or did. Deep in the hidden chambers of the heart we commune with God and He with us. It is a very private place of solitude and safety. No man can enter there for it is the Lord our God who occupies the Throne thereof. We are protected from the wicked vacillations of society and the gross apostasy prevailing in many of our churches. We are emboldened to stand firm with the Armor of God as our defense, and the Sword of Truth as our battle instrument. God has led me to the green pastures of faithful fellowship with others who hold dear the same Savior whom I serve, worship and adore. He will do the same for all who respond to His call by faith through the unbounded Grace of God. He knows His own and His own hear His Voice. Do you?