October 9, 2026
It was one year ago this week that I was on a solo trip hiking in Colorado and Wyoming. I’ve thought back to that time often over this last year. The sights, the sounds, the smells. It was beautiful. And though I often think how desperately I’d love to go back there more frequently, I know that’s not really a reality. I was blessed during that time to keep a journal. I’m not much of a consistent journaler, but I am so glad that I kept one. It was during this time last year that I wrote much about the Scripture I was mediating on, the books I was reading, the experiences I was having, the conversations with God, and the emotions I was feeling. I learned so much in that time. And I’m so glad that I wrote them down. Part of the beauty of keeping a journal is that you can read back over it later. Because I tend to forget, the words I wrote captured important feelings, thoughts, events, and learnings that I need help remembering. Those experiences have become anchoring points in my life.
As our church reads through the book of Exodus, I’ve noticed something recently. God’s parting of the Red Sea in chapter 14 is one of the most referenced events in the Bible. It was the pivotal event outlining God’s rescue of his people and remained the central theme for salvation throughout Scripture. For example, many of the authors of Psalms look back to that event.
The waters saw you, God, the waters writhed; the very depths were convulsed… your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters… -Psalm 77:16,19
Centuries later, speaking of God’s presence in the cloud, Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 relating to Christian baptism.
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
The passing through the Red Sea served as an anchoring point for Israel’s relationship with God. It was a pivotal moment in their lives and history which was meant for them to remember and look back on for generations. That moment reminded them of God’s rescue, care, and provision. It solidified in their minds and hearts what God said when he appeared to Moses on the mountain. Exodus 34:6-7.
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
He is loving. He is eternal. He is faithful. He is just. He is forgiving. It’s a beautiful and marvelous thing that God had Israel “journal” these moments and truths. They would need to remember it for many generations to come.
What about for you? What are the anchor-points in your faith journey? They may be monumental events like your conversion story, baptism, or the moment you stepped out in faith in a big decision. They may be the subtleties of a deep relationship, a meaningful conversation, a quite time in prayer and encounter with God. You probably should take some time to consider what they are. Write them down. Whatever they are, these are gifts given to each of us. God gives us these anchor points to tether us to truths about his love. When life gets hard, busy, distracting, and when our faith begins to drift, we have these things to look back on.
You need those reminders when you’re in prayer, at home, in your marriage, in difficult decisions and relationships, when you’re tempted, and when you consider your church family and your place in the Body of Christ. I am often amazed when I look back at what God has done in White Oak’s near 190 years and how often God has anchored us in his grace, power, and truth. He’s done so much in and through us and he’s not done yet!
Yahweh is a gracious and compassionate God. He’s desperate to give you reminders each day of his mercy and love. These anchor points come to us all the time. We’re often too busy to see them. As you invest more of your heart in meditating on God’s Word, listening to his voice in prayer, spending quiet time with Jesus, and obediently stepping into his will… you’ll begin to see and experience a growing number of tethers in your life tied directly to his faithfulness.
Anchored,
Nathan
Nathan Hinkle
Lead Pastor
