Hold Fast

HOLD FAST

In 2003, a movie entitled “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” starred one of my favorite actors- Russell Crowe. In the movie, one of the old sailors had “HOLD FAST” tattooed on his fingers just below the knuckles. As they entered a battle it was like a calm before a storm hit and a young deck hand was very scared. They all knew what was coming and each could feel the chill of possible death gripping them. The old sailor simply held his fists up, place them together and silently signaled to the boy to “hold fast”. This is a very old and traditional tattoo for sailors reminding them to not let their hands slip on the lines, or to secure yourself to the rigging when working aloft in weather. A line (rope) on a ship is “fast” when it is firmly and positively secured. The sailors were constantly reminded to “hold” tightly any time someone slipped or actually fell overboard to their death.

This past week I took my family on our last “outing” before Melissa goes off to college in California. We decided to head down to the Florida Keys and enjoy some awesome summer weather. A hotel room is a bit boring, so for the same cost we rented a house boat and took it out in the bay side of the Keys. The first day was a bit of a learning curve as we navigated around the small islands called “Keys”. Most are simply a large area of Mangrove trees where small fish grow up, larger fish go fishing and hundreds of birds gather and nest. It is beautiful and yet perilous! The depth of the water in the Keys rarely is over 7 feet deep, making navigation dangerous. One could quickly find themselves in water only 2 feet deep and run their boat aground causing damage to the boat, hurting the ecosystem and wildlife, creating a very dangerous situation and then needing to be rescued.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were sunny and amazingly beautiful as we saw sunset and sunrise from the top of the boat, even eating dinner each night on the top! Lots of card games were played after dark as we anchored off our boat safely in different small harbors far from other boats. Then Wednesday night at 2:15 AM I was awakened by howling wind and our boat was being blown around like a toy. I checked the weather before bed and only small thunderstorms were predicted. When chairs and equipment were being blown around violently we knew something was wrong. Checking the weather again there was a heavy wind, rain and lightning warning with winds up to 45 mph! A house boat is like a giant sail due to its boxy shape and so we were beginning to be pushed along even with the anchor down! In the pitch black you cannot see anything. Within a few minutes it felt as if our anchor had broken off so grabbing my flashlight I had to see what happened. Checking overboard it became clear that the anchor was still there but we were being driven along by the wind as if there was no anchor! Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along Acts 27:17. We were afraid of where we would end up…

Not knowing which way we were being blown because we could not see land or sky, I quickly called the Coast Guard and we looked up our GPS coordinates to let them know. Then we called the boat owner but there was no answer. Our depth finder showed 5 feet, then 4 feet then just 2.8 feet and I knew were about to run aground. With the flashlight I finally saw Mangrove trees and we were quickly approaching. We all prayed, especially my awesome wife Helen, got out the life jackets, and then I remembered the old sailor in the movie and told the family to “hold fast” and brace yourselves. And remembered a few awesome scriptures. We hit the trees, crashing sounds and cracking branches made the whole event sound horrific. The boat spun around and we came to rest against the sand and trees eerily protecting us from hitting other boats or being blown out to sea. By 4:00 AM the wind had died down, the Coast Guard knew our position and the boat owner had contacted me. All was good…but we had run aground. By daylight it became clear the anchor did not hold but we were safely tucked into the harbor and had been blown away from danger! A tow boat came at 2:00 PM and got us out. We safely returned to the dock and have great memories!

In the same way, disciples are always on the brink of battle or firmly in it! There is always a storm brewing and the chill of death haunts us when we realize the ferocity of our enemy, Satan. We too must hold fast to the “rigging”- our God and the incredible tools he has given us to not just survive but to be victorious: our faith, other disciples in the fellow“ship”, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit the Lord has given to guide us. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf Hebrews 6:19-20.

We will have storms and there will be many battles but we can HOLD FAST to our God and his grace which is an anchor for our souls that will never allow us to drift or run aground. We must not let our hands and hearts slip but …holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 1 Timothy 1:19. Rather let each of us HOLD FAST and stand firm in our faith not letting it slip away into a shipwreck but finding the victory of a powerful relationship with God! We all loved the “outing” and the thrill of living on the edge and agreed…we would do it again! Live on the edge and HOLD FAST- it is exhilarating!

He stoops down to make us great!
Matt Sullivan