An Anchor For Our Souls

“We who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” - Hebrews 6:18-19 The writer of Hebrews uses the image of an anchor to describe the confident hope we can have in God. If you have ever been walking by the shore or lake in the summer, you are used to seeing boats bob up and down in the water or calmly drift while the occupants fish or lounge in the sunshine. Regardless of the wind, waves, or current, without an anchor, nothing can keep it in place. The anchor keeps the boat from drifting off in any direction. No wonder Hebrews calls hope “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Just as an anchor holds a boat, so hope holds our souls. But did you ever think about this? An anchor without a rope or chain is useless. The anchor cannot serve its purpose unless the boat is tied to the anchor. So it is with us. Without a hope that is tied to Jesus, we will not be secure. Without faith, we will drift. Hebrews 6 explores this idea by first telling us about Abraham. It reminds us that God promised Abraham land and descendants, yet Abraham faced many threats to those promises. Thankfully, he held onto those promises, and God showed Himself to be faithful. The second example is that of Jesus. Jesus is our “forerunner,” who ran ahead of us. Yet only Jesus ran through death and returned to life. Because he did, we can be assured that God will also give us new life after death. Our prayer is that when the waters of life get rough or when we can’t see the shore, that confident hope in Jesus will serve as the anchor for our souls.