"Christ The Sure and Steady Anchor" comes to us from worship leader Matt Boswell. Originally recorded as a part of his "Church Songs" project. The hymn has been sung around the world and appears on multiple other projects.
Boswell strengthens our hearts for those storms, which we are sure to endure. He further writes his hymn of encouragement in such a way as to remind us not to think these events as strange (1 Peter 4:12).
In verse one, Boswell beautifully reminds us that doubt is not meant to drive from Christ but to Him.
Building on the foundation of verse one, verse two powerfully reinforces how grace works in our lives. "When temptation claims the battle, and it seems the night has won deeper still then goes the anchor though I justly stand accused.", is written in a Pauline like hymnody. As I sing these words, I hear Paul's stirring words in Romans 7, concluding with his crescendo of triumphal praise in Romans 8:1.
Solid praise and worship songs are rooted in honest truth, and verse three is an honest exposure of our hearts as we endure our storms. It opens with a positive confession followed by two consecutive negative realities followed by a short soul-stirring sermon. We are reminded that Christ is sure and steady through the floods of unbelief. Boswell's next words feel channeled from the Psalmist of Psalm 42. In the "Downcast Soul" Psalm we are taught to preach to our "downcast soul". In line three, we are singing a sermon to our unbelieving heart, "hopeless, somehow, o my soul now lift your eyes to Calvary." This sermon establishes a perspective of victorious assurance, "this my ballast of assurance see His love forever proved".
Boswell's great hymn ends as all Biblical hymns do with a focus on life's final storm, death. Again we are given a glorious perspective, "when these trails give way to glory, and we draw our final breath, we will cross that great horizon, clouds behind and life secure." If that wasn't enough, Boswell reminds us that these storms were not in vain, "and the calm will be the better, for the storms that we endure." In God's sovereign plan, our storms lay up for us a better experience of heaven (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). I cannot fully explain such a thought. I ponder it often and believe it with all my heart daily.
Boswell concludes with a confession that our souls need to rehearse daily.
Christ the sure of our salvation,
Ever faithful, ever true!
We will hold fast to the anchor,
It shall never be removed.
We will hold fast to the anchor,
It shall never be removed.
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