“For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: ‘I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.’ Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
(New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.)
This Hebrews passage is specifically talking about the anchor of our hope being the promise of our Salvation for those who have received that salvation by trusting in Christ. It is an absolute promise of God – and then on top of the promise, God even gave us His personal oath, thereby giving us 2 complete & unbreakable assurances of our Salvation!
This “Hope-Anchor” for our eternal souls is fulfilled in Jesus! He is our personal and eternal High Priest who through His free gift of salvation, if received, brings us to God in the innermost sanctuary; Heaven. That is an awesome truth to anchor in! To ground our faith & salvation in! Jesus is our Anchor-Hope of Salvation, and He will fulfill that eternal promise to us.
But I believe we can also broaden that Anchor picture, (using the whole context of Scripture) and know that Jesus is the Anchor of our Soul in all spiritual ways. He is the One who keeps our faith steady and secure…at least if we decide to use that Anchor.
My world has been in a state of change and turmoil over the past year, and my confidence has been shaken in some things. The thought of Christ being my Anchor, or the Anchor for my Soul, is a great comforter to me as I try to navigate through the changes and ‘wind tossed waves’ going on all around me. The waves may be begging for my attention, but if I am anchored in Christ, I wont focus on them, but on Him.
An anchor is a stabilizer, even in a stormy sea. It keeps the ship from being tossed about, and carried with every wave being thrown at it. The picture here is clear. If we are depending on Christ as our daily Anchor, our “ship,” which is our Faith, will remain steadfast, unshakeable, immovable. It will be grounded and secure in our Hope, which is Christ. (I Timothy 1:1)
Every ship has an anchor available to it. But if the anchor remains unused, remains tucked away inside the vessel, then the ship will not experience all its benefits. The ship will get tossed about and thrown with the winds & waves it encounters. It will drift and never be secured safely in it’s place. That ship may end up broken on the rocks, or adrift at sea, or capsized by the stormy waves. An unused anchor leads to a shipwrecked vessel.
I never want that kind of shipwrecked Christian faith! I see so many who forget to use their God-given Anchor, and are struggling amidst the waves of life. I’ve seen some who started out strong, only to end up broken on the hard rocks or capsized in the stormy seas. If only they had truly used their Anchor, and clung to Him as their Hope, the outcome could have been so different.
Rocks are going to loom, waves are going to be tumultuous and overwhelming at times. These things are a given in life. How in the world can anyone try to make it without Jesus, I will never understand. I wouldn’t want to try life lived that way. I wouldn’t want anyone I love to try life that way.
Jesus is a sure and steadfast Anchor for my eternal soul, and for my daily soul. I cling to Him for my promised eternal salvation, and also through the storms of this life. I trust in His hope and assurances and promises found in His Word. I have experienced personally how He has kept me when all earthly hope was lost. I have felt His arms hold me steady when life’s stormy seas threatened to overturn me. He is forever my Hope and Steadfast Anchor. For eternal salvation – absolutely! I know I will see that eternal promise fulfilled one day. But I also count on Him as the Anchor for my daily faith walk. That benefit I have already seen, over and over again. You can too!
© 2017 LauraJSE All RIGHTS RESERVED
