2010 – December 24 – Hope As an Anchor

Study from God’s Word… Hebrews 6: 13 – 10: 18 … Passage for Reflection: Hebrews 6: 17, 19a [underlined in context] … NIV 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

My Journal for Today: To what do you attach your anchor of faith and hope? In the 19th century, shipping was the primary method of distribution and commerce of the day; and a ship could not drop anchor unless the Captain knew that his anchor chain was solid … and when used, was attached to a solid rock on the ocean floor, especially when his ship encountered rough seas or heavy storms. In the 19th century, Priscilla Owen wrote a hymn, which has become a standard, entitled, We Have An Anchor; and the first verse and chorus go like this …

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

Refrain:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

And in this hymn, we have the essence of the hope we have that the anchor of our faith/hope is eternally affixed to the solid Rock, Who is Christ. And our Lord and Savior has given us the promise of His New Covenant, upon which we can attach our anchor of faith. God has sworn to us, by the shedding of His own blood and He demonstrated His truth by His resurrection, … so that we can be saved by eternally affixing our anchor of hope to Him. And when we do, He will bring our ship into eternal relationship with Himself in heaven. That is the promise … the Rock-solid promise of the New Covenant.

My friend, to whom – or should I say, “to Whom” – do you affix your anchor of hope? Is it the promises of man; or are you banking your eternity on the promises the world can offer? I doubt the latter; because no matter how good or strong another person or worldly institution in your life might be, that entity is fallible; and we could never put down our anchor of life, let alone the anchor to eternal life, and know, beyond doubt, that it would hold by depending on the promises of mankind. But when our anchor of faith is affixed to Jesus and His sacrifice as the Lamb of God, shedding His blood for the remission of our sin, we know that our anchor will hold eternally.

God’s word is solid; and His promises are His rock; and I don’t know about you, but my anchor line of faith is affixed to the Rock, and He will hold my ship through any storm, keeping me always and eternally anchored to Himself. I don’t have to depend upon the promises of man; because I only depend upon the promises of God through His word. And my anchor will always hold.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, my anchor of faith is affixed to You. You are my Rock. Amen