The Anchor For Our Souls

Confession time. I have greatly struggled getting words on a page recently. Since Mother’s Day really. I kind of felt knocked down. And usually when I feel knocked down, I want to quit and run the other direction. If you have followed my blog for a while you know that my past is filled with moments of quitting when things got hard, or when I wasn’t good enough at something. 

And this is exactly what I wanted to do again. I had swept it under the rug for a little bit, until I was confronted with sharing publicly again. All the fear, and insecurities flooded back to me. And I wanted to just hide under a rock. However, someone wrote me a text that made me start to put one foot in front of the other again. The text said “To keep the gift, give it away”.

That was a hard truth to swallow. It felt like a balance of encouragement and warning at the same time. But putting one foot in front of the other can be easier said than done. Am I right?

And Jesus has some harsh truths for those who “put one hand to the plow, and then walk away”. He says they are not fit for the Kingdom of God. Ouch. Who is fit for the Kingdom of God then? Those who persevere for the sake of His name. Those who walk forward keeping their eyes on Christ, and not the wind and the waves. 

But if you are in a place where you feel stuck like I felt and still feel, you may be asking how can I move forward when I feel immovable?

My simple answer is this: Cling to the anchor. 

What is an anchor?

An anchor is a heavy and large object attached to a rope or chain and used to keep a boat or ship secured to the sea bottom.

An anchor prevents a vessel from drifting, and from floating into danger. It keeps a vessel from running aground and from the risk of crashing into rocks and sinking. And the tighter the anchor, the less a vessel drifts. It keeps the vessel firm and secure.

Hebrews 6:17-19 says this:

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. 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. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

The Hebrew translation says God confirmed his promise to Abraham with an oath. And God did this so that we, who have taken refuge of the hope set before us (Jesus) would have strong (mighty, firm, sure) encouragement (solace, comfort, refreshment). 

Do you feel the truths in these verses? Hope anchors our soul. And did you catch this?… Our hope is set by God himself, so that we can be greatly encouraged. When we are anchored, our anchor is usually so deep that it isn’t visible. And isn’t that like the hope we have in Jesus? The hope that doesn’t disappoint. We can’t really see it. However, Romans says, a hope that is seen is not hope at all.

God through the promise of Jesus keeps us secure: our hearts, and our minds, and our souls. 

Wow. God wants this for us. That is why he sent Jesus. So we can have this hope that brings encouragement, solace, comfort, refreshment.

Jesus is our hope. He is our anchor.

He secures our place in heaven. and guides us so that we don’t sink. Tells us to keep our eyes on Him while walking on water, and keeps us firmly planted so that we don’t get tossed around in the waves more than we should. He is the solid rock on which we can stand, our hiding place, and strong tower. Our safe refuge. When the storm comes, His anchor, His hope, keeps us protected.

This is the anchor that we have for our souls, that is firm and secure.

Take comfort in these truths, because they are beautiful, sure, true, and for us to take hold of, and have refuge in.

Let me leave you with this bit of interesting thoughts for you to take with you. Have you ever noticed what the top of an anchor looks like? 

It is a cross. And at the top of the anchor is what they call a crown. Kind of like where the crown of thorns would have been. 

So, the next time you feel stuck, or you see an anchor… remember Jesus.

Because what a beautiful truth. A beautiful hope. A beautiful Savior. Our anchor.