March–in like a lion, out like a lamb. The winds do blow and howl and the storms rage. It doesn’t have to be the month of March. It doesn’t even have to be a natural storm, but it can be one of the soul, of the spirit. Life on the sin-tossed sea is often raging. There is no rest and no hope. But, when the soul finds Jesus, the raging storm of the soul ceases and we can rest in Him.
“My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea;
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice saying, ‘Make me your choice,’
And I entered the Haven of Rest.”
–H. L. Gilmore
At first we might try and fight the waves and storms in our own strength. Soon, however, the strength of the body and soul gives way to the assailing storm. We can’t handle life anymore and are soon to be undone, wrecked, and in despair. Then Jesus comes….
“I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
And faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
The Haven of Rest is my Lord.
The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus who’ll save whosoever will have
A home in the Haven of Rest.”
Now when the storm rages; when the tempest tests our very being; when the devil rises up against us, it is no longer our feeble arms that work, but the strong arm of the Lord. He holds us and shields us and at the same time either speaks to the storm or wards it off with His other arm. We can rest secure no matter the challenges of life, in the Haven of Rest.
“How precious the tho’t that we all may recline,
Like John the beloved and blest,
On Jesus’ strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the Haven of Rest.
O come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the Haven of Rest,
And say, ‘My Beloved in mine.'”
No more do we walk unwearyingly through life. No more do we drift, not knowing where we are bound. No more do we fear the storms that come our way. The chorus, so powerful, yet so soothing to the soul, helps us realize that truly we are SAFE in the Haven of Rest.
“I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest,
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep o’er the wild stormy deep;
In Jesus, I’m safe evermore.”