One of our recent discoveries, and now favourite places, is a place called Bittangabee Bay on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia.
It is a remote camping spot, accessible only by dirt road and surrounded by bushland and the Pacific Ocean. The centrepiece is the beautiful calm, serene bay from where it gets its name. It’s quite breathtaking to stand at the mouth of the bay and see huge ocean waves crash over the rocks on the headlands to then dissipate to a soft, gentle ripple by the time they get to the shore of the bay. The contrast is truly amazing.
Bittangabee bay is a place of refuge and rest for passing small boats and one day we returned from being out to see a catamaran moored just off the beach. It had obviously pulled in to anchor for the night and created a beautiful scene as it bobbed around with the waves. We hadn’t seen it arrive and didn’t see it leave but I know it was there at least overnight because I could still see the very top of its mast through the trees from our campsite.
As night fell, the external lights of the catamaran came on showing its position in the bay.
What struck me though was that one minute I could see the light at the top of the mast but the next time I looked up it had disappeared from view and another moment later it would be back. Although the catamaran was clearly anchored, it was still drifting to and fro with the ebb and flow of the water.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
So, God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:18-20
If God is our refuge, Jesus is our anchor to that refuge.
The catamaran in the bay was anchored but still carried by the tide. The light on its mast would drift in and out of sight as it shifted on its moorings even in the calm waters of the bay. Imagine being in a storm in the middle of the ocean!
Just as a boat needs to be securely anchored, we need to hold fast to our anchor – Jesus. So often we can shift and be carried by the tide… the tide of popular opinion, the tide of what other people think of us, the subtle tides of busyness and distraction. Our anchor must be secure in order for us to not be taken too far off course by these tides. Tides that can so easily carry us away and before we know it, we’ve looked up and our point of reference has disappeared.
As I watched the catamaran bob and sway in many directions but always being pulled back to its anchor point, I couldn’t help but think of how we too can so easily veer ever so slightly off course, often so gradually you don’t even notice. You don’t have to go far to find yourself in unfamiliar and uncomfortable waters. But Jesus is always there ready to lovingly pull us back to the security of our anchor. And as long as we remain connected to the anchor, although we might drift, we will never drift too far off course, and we will always have a place of refuge to return to when we do.
