IN TIMES LIKE THESE

         We live in very troubling times.  Terrorism is increasing worldwide.   Wars and threats of wars abound.  A deadly disease is spreading and killing thousands.  Christians are being killed, persecuted, and forced to flee their homes.  Fires, floods and earthquakes are devastating large areas.  Judges are overturning Biblical standards.  It is easy to become discouraged, worried and fearful.  But in a society which no longer has absolutes, believers do have absolutes upon which they can rest.  In times like these we need the Bible.  In times like these we need a Savior.  In times like these we need a solid Rock and an Anchor.  And thankfully we do have those to build our lives on and depend upon.  In 1944, a housewife named Ruth Caye Jones was concerned about the state of the world.  The country was in the middle of World War II.  Hitler, the Nazi army and the Japanese military were waging war around the globe.  Mrs. Jones was at home completing her daily household tasks.  She was burdened and stressed by the turmoil and evil in the world.  She was moved by reading the words of 2 Timothy 3:1: "This know also that in the last days perilous times will come." As she read those words, inspiration for the song came, and she jotted lyrics on a small notepad she had in her apron pocket.  Since that day the hymn has been a blessing to countless Christians at special times of need. It has brought comfort and has encouraged and challenged Christian workers, and has drawn many to salvation.  Mrs. Jones herself experienced the consolation of these words as she spent time recovering from serious surgery a few years after she wrote it. When Jones watched George Beverly Shea sing her song on a Billy Graham telecast, tears came to her eyes and she said, "I can't believe I had any part in writing this song. I just feel that God gave it to me, and I gave it to the world."  She had written 15 other songs, but "In Times Like These" became her best known.  Today, we still live in perilous times. And unlike in the 1940s, we as a society have grown further and further from God. The Solid Rock is still there and always has been, but too many people have chosen to throw their anchor on sinking sand.  So the words written 60 years ago ring more true today than they ever have. In our lives we will encounter storms of life, some which threaten to tear our whole ships apart. But if your anchor grips onto the solid rock, there is no storm that can destroy you.  Rest from the turmoil of these times and claim these truths this week.

(1)   In times like these you need a Savior

In times like these you need an anchor;

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;

This Rock is Jesus, the only One!

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 

(2)    In times like these you need the Bible,

In times like these O be not idle;

Be very sure, be very sure 

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;

This Rock is Jesus, the only One!

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;

This Rock is Jesus, the only One!

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 

(3)    In times like these I have a Savior,

In times like these I have an anchor;

I'm very sure, I'm very sure

My anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 

This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He's the One;

This Rock is Jesus, the only One!

Be very sure, be very sure

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock! 

I am providing two chances to listen to this hymn this week.  The first is a trio (you can skip the ad in a five seconds).    TRIO

The second is by a chamber choir   CHOIR