Anchors in an Unstable World

Our world is changing at a rapid and unsettling pace. 

The international order is breaking into a multipolar system, with Europe rearming and powers such as Russia, China and India coming closer together in the East, even as turmoil continues to engulf the Middle East.

Instability seems to be the defining feature of our time, and Bible prophecy shows it will intensify. Our world is rapidly moving toward the worst time of human suffering in history.

When the foundations of our world seem to be shaking, it is natural to feel powerless, unstable and uncertain. 

In such a situation, King David asked an intriguing question: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).

How can a Christian find an anchor of stability in an increasingly unstable world? 

Appeal to the foundations in heaven

In Psalm 11, David does not specify the incident in his life that led him to ponder such a question, but he began to answer the question. He appeals to the foundation of heaven itself: “The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men” (verse 4).

Though the foundation of this world can seem shaky, God remains forever and cannot be shaken. David trusted that God saw his situation and would deliver him. 

God is not indifferent to our situation either. He knows what is happening and will act in the way He sees fit for us. It’s often not the way we would like or the timing we would prefer, but God is faithful and will deliver.

On what basis did David trust in God? Can Christians trust God for the same reasons today?

An anchor for the soul

The book of Hebrews lists two unchangeable attributes of God that we can rely on and that must be the foundation of our faith: God keeps His promises and God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:13-18).

God is not like us when we make promises, because we cannot always guarantee we’ll be able to keep them. I might tell my children, “Tomorrow we’ll go to the park,” only to cancel because it rains. We can’t control the circumstances around us—but God can and does.

When God makes a promise, such as “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” we can completely rely on it.   So when He makes a promise, such as “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), we can completely rely on it.  

This is described as an “anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19).

An anchor keeps a boat stable in a raging storm.  

When the ancient Israelites journeyed out of Egypt, they failed to rely on the anchor of their souls. Instead, when difficulties came, they quickly forgot God. They were tossed to and fro, moving from one trial to the next. 

God gave them anchors to help them keep stable, but they neglected those anchors. 

What anchors did they fail to remember?

Anchor 1: God provides deliverance

When Israel came out of Egypt, God specifically instructed them, “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:3).

Yet instead of remembering His deliverance, they quickly became entirely consumed with their hardships and forgot what God had already done for them.

Rather than trusting God to meet their needs, they feared their enemies (Exodus 14:10), complained of hunger and thirst (Exodus 16:3), rebelled against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16:1-3) and ultimately refused to go forward in faith and enter the Promised Land (Numbers 14:1-4).

Time and again, they failed to remember the God who had delivered them, and in doing so, they “limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:40-42).

Anchor 2: God makes a difference between the righteous and the wicked

Israel was enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years before God acted on their behalf. Although He had made a covenant with Abraham, the fulfillment of that promise came only after the people cried out to Him. At that point, God “heard their groaning,” “remembered His covenant,” “looked” upon them and “acknowledged them” (Exodus 2:23-25).

Just as Israel was called to follow God to the Promised Land, we are called to follow Christ and walk just as He walked. God then began to make a clear distinction between those who were His and those who were not His. He declared to Pharaoh, “I will make a difference between My people and your people” (Exodus 8:23). 

In the same way, God will make a distinction in the end times between the righteous and the wicked—between those who fear and serve Him and those who do not. 

When Christians make a clear distinction between the things of God and the things of this world, God also makes a distinction for them and delivers them. (The Hebrew word translated “difference” in Exodus 8:23 can also be translated “redeem” and “redemption.”) Of such people He says, “They shall be Mine,” just as He claimed those He redeemed from Egypt (Malachi 3:16-18; compare Exodus 13:2).

And as in Exodus 2, God still hears, remembers His covenant, looks upon and acknowledges His people—not merely as servants, but as His sons.

Anchor 3: God goes before us to show us the way

Jeremiah wrote, “The way of man is not in himself . . .  to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). This truth is reflected in Israel’s journey during the Exodus. They did not know which way to go, yet God led them—not by the most direct northern route toward the Promised Land, but eastward, through the Red Sea and toward Arabia (Exodus 13:17-18).

Israel followed God as He went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). This should remind Christians of Jesus’ words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Christ is the One we are called to follow, both day and night. At times He may lead us along paths that seem unexpected or unfamiliar—but He is faithfully guiding His people toward His Kingdom.

Just as Israel was called to follow God to the Promised Land, we are called to follow Christ and walk just as He walked. We are to walk the path He has set before us, without turning aside or looking back, like some of the Israelites who longed to return to Egypt (Numbers 14:3-4).

The warning remains: “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). 

Anchor 4: God fights for us

Just after the Israelites’ departure from Egypt, they found themselves trapped at the edge of the Red Sea, with Pharaoh’s army closing in. All hope seemed lost, and the people were petrified with fear (Exodus 14:9-12).

This moment marks the first of their “Why have you brought us out of Egypt?” complaints. 

With the sea before them and no visible route of escape, the people cried out to Moses. He responded with reassurance: “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD . . .  The LORD will fight for you” (Exodus 14:13-14).

God Himself fought on their behalf and delivered them. 

The same principle applies to Christians today. We cannot know how many times God has defended us against “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). Yet each time, God stands as our defender.

Israel, however, struggled to hold on to this lesson. When they later stood at the gateway of the Promised Land, they again fell into fear and doubt. Though Joshua and Caleb urged the people to trust that God would again fight for them (Numbers 14:6-8), the nation chose to believe the discouraging report of the other spies.

This brings us back to the first anchor: “God provides deliverance.”

Anchored in faith

The four foundational anchors outlined in this blog post could have stabilized the Israelites through their trials and hardships. Because they ignored them, they were unable to enter the Promised Land.

Christians must not repeat the same mistakes (1 Corinthians 10:6). Instead, these four anchors must be firmly established in our lives. 

We must not be like the ancient Israelites, who lost sight of God as their anchor. Rather, we are called to press forward toward the prize (Philippians 3:14), striving for the Kingdom of God while remembering His great power to deliver.

God is already going before us, preparing a place for us in His Kingdom—and He will bring us there, if we endure to the end (Matthew 24:13).

Date Posted: May 4, 2026