By Pastor Neil Kenyon, Salem, IN.

One of the things I cherish is the memory of the frequent fishing trips with my dad while I was growing up.  Knowingly or unknowingly, my dad would teach me things that, as I grow in Christ, connect with the spiritual teachings of my Heavenly Father.

One such teaching involved using an anchor to hold the boat steady over the fishing hole. Dad called it, “The Nine O’clock Wind.” As we prepared for the fishing trip dad would say, “We need to be ready for the Nine O’clock Wind,”  as he loaded the heavy concrete block, tied to a strong rope, we used for an anchor.

The Nine O’clock Wind was in reference to the wind that would oftentimes come up during our fishing trips. Inevitability, it seemed, just when we had found a good fishing spot, the wind would whistle in and drift us away – as often as not, the wind seemed to be strongest at 9:00 AM! And so, we always prepared for the nine O’clock Wind!

I have found, as a child of God, that I need to be prepared for the Nine O’clock Wind! It seems that at the moment things are just right in my spiritual fishing trip, the Nine O’clock Wind whistles in. The gales are often very strong and include gusts of:  too busy, too tired, Laziness, let someone else, why me, I can’t, I’d rather not, you’re not ready, I don’t understand, etc.  In addition, there are the boisterous bursts of doubt, discouragement, anger, pride, and selfishness that push against me, trying to drive me away from my relationship with Christ.

And so, I have in my boat, an Anchor which holds me steady against the Nine O’clock Wind. That Anchor is “The Word!”

As you prepare for your fishing trip, don’t forget to prepare for the Nine O’clock Wind

We need to stay near the anchor that stabilizes our lives, ready to grip it tightly when the winds blow. We can’t sink when we’re holding to the anchor, and we can’t be lost when gripping it. When we anchor ourselves in Christ and His word, our faith cannot be shaken.

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.” (Hebrews 6:19) NKJV