Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor

Sovereign Grace Music offers “Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor” as a modern hymn that uses sailing images for the Christian life. The first verse describes a ship in trouble, “in the fury of the storm, when the winds of doubt blow through me and my sails have all been torn.” In suffering and sorrow, when “sinking hopes are few,” the singer says, “I will hold fast to the anchor; it shall never be removed.”

The following verses deepen the picture. When temptation claims the battle and it seems “the night has won,” the anchor goes “deeper still,” even when the singer stands justly accused. Through floods of unbelief the singer is told to “lift your eyes to Calvary,” which is called the “ballast of assurance,” where God's love is “forever proved.” The last verse looks ahead to death: “We will cross that great horizon, clouds behind and life secure, and the calm will be the better for the storms that we endure.” The closing tag names Christ as “the shore of our salvation, ever faithful, ever true.” The wording is formal and poetic, which suits congregations who sing hymns, and it speaks of hardship without ignoring it.

Hope as an anchor for the soul is Hebrews 6:19. Present sufferings compared to glory is Romans 8:18, and looking to Jesus is Hebrews 12:2.