Anchored Series

ED YOUNG:

In other words, you cannot put pressure on your spouse to become the anchor. You cannot put divine pressure on a depraved human being. In any situation when it comes to marriages. Your spouse is not your savior, your spouse is not your Lord. They can be and they are a reflection of that. But too often we put too much pressure.

LISA YOUNG:

Then finally, and I think this is so important, don't trade what you do know for what you don't know. Last year we faced so many unknowns, we didn't know how we were going to feel on her birthday. We didn't know how we were going to feel at Thanksgiving, at Christmas, and then this week at the anniversary of her death. We did not know. There are a lot of unknowns. What we do know is that Jesus is at the center of it all. We do know that we have a hope in heaven. We do know where LeeBeth is in this moment, at this time. We do know that because of what God's word tells us. So don't trade what you don't know for what you do know. Don't let feelings mess up the facts of our faith.

ED YOUNG:

Yes.

LISA YOUNG:

One of my favorite stories and favorite songs is about Horatio Spafford. He was a very wealthy man who lived in Chicago and in 1871, he lost everything. His son died of Scarlet fever, he lost his business in the Chicago fire. He and his wife had four daughters remaining and they said, "We'd be better if we just go back to Europe and start over." Horatio had things to do and things to button up in Chicago, so he sent his wife and four daughters on ahead. They were traveling across the ocean on a ship and the ship encountered rogue winds and heavy waves and they were cast overboard. Four of his daughters perished, he had lost a son and now he had lost his four daughters. When his wife, who survived, got to Europe, she messaged him, telegraphed him and said, "Saved alone." When he made the trek to join her and the ship that he was on covered that same area where his children had been lost. He pinned the words, "It is well with my soul." There's no way to explain having peace in the midst of a storm like that unless you have Jesus as your anchor.

ED YOUNG:

The question is, do you have Jesus as your anchor? Or are you trying to use clotheslines and Clorox bottles for your foundation? It's our prayer that we will make that decision individually, also collectively in every marriage and in every relationship here. That we can boldly proclaim through tears, through doubts, through heartaches, it is well.

LISA YOUNG:

Father, we thank you for this time. I pray Lord that if there's someone here who hasn't made a decision to follow you, that today would be that day that they would open the lid of their heart, receive the gift of salvation, turn from their sins and walk with you. Father, we thank you for every single person in this room and all of our environments. I just ask, Lord, that if there are marriages that are broken, that you would heal them. I pray for individuals who are going through pain and suffering in different degrees. Lord, you are our great peace giver, our great helper, our great strength. We pray all of this in Jesus name.