Several years ago, like many other youths at the time, I found myself enthralled with a show called “Teen Wolf.” This MTV-produced, pop-culture phenomenon told the story of Scott McCall, who was, in fact, a teen werewolf. It was the age of Twilight, and everyone grew increasingly curious about wolves.
A huge piece of this show, and any other werewolf-focused production, is the moment the human being turns into a werewolf. As the show progresses, it becomes harder and harder for Scott (the teen wolf) to maintain his human memory and emotions once he turns into a wolf at night. Other characters would then encourage him to “find his anchor”—find what would keep him steadfast and “normal,” while he was dealing with wolf-related problems (as if human teenage angst wasn’t difficult enough on its own.)
Within the show, you often see the characters looking to other people to be their anchor, their guide, their voice of reason. In the real world, we know this voice to be our conscience. For Christians, we have a more intimate relationship with this voice, as we believe God to be our ultimate anchor and guide.
As I began reading through the Psalms today, I wasn’t surprised to find that werewolves went unfeatured. But I did find a similar theme to that seen in “Teen Wolf” so many years ago. In this very first psalm, the psalmist writes, “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked. . .but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.” Happy are those who return to the word of the Lord. Happy are those who meditate on God’s word. Happy are those who see God’s word as the ultimate anchor in our lives.
The psalmist goes on to say these people are like trees “planted by streams of water.” If you are truly planted in something, you are rooted in it, you are gripping the foundation of it all. What would it look like for me to grip the foundational truth that Jesus loves me and that God’s word is intended personally for me? What if I fully embraced and clung to the truth that I am saved by Jesus and that nothing can ever separate me from His love? This truth must ultimately become our anchor. Though we may hear the voices of wicked opposition or see an easy way out, Psalm 1 declares that the wicked will perish.
These last few months have yielded deep confusion, a loss of routine, and deep anguish as we crave “normality.” If we count on the world to resolve our problems, we will perish. If we look to the world to anchor us and keep us steady, we will fail. We must anchor ourselves in the word of the Lord and delight in the truth of God’s love. This conviction is what will grant us ultimate peace and direction.