The Anchor Holds

You've heard it said often times that we are "sailing on the seas of life."  Sailing is used as an analogy because of the dynamic conditions of the sea.  The sea can be calm one second and then tumultuous the next.  At times, if you are sailing or boating you will have to drop anchor.  The anchor is dropped with the understanding that your boat is not going to move from the spot where the anchor is.

The writer of Hebrews understood this when he penned the 19th verse of the 6th chapter.  He said: "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil..."  Earlier in the chapter, the writer described those that had fallen away and how their hope had not been developed into full confidence.  He (this is just a pronoun here as the writer of Hebrews is unknown and could very well be a woman) urged his readers to take hold of the hope set before them.  God had given them all the incentive they needed in that he made a promise and he sealed that promise with an oath.

The promise God made to Abraham that he would have a Seed that would bless the whole world was partially fulfilled through the birth of Isaac.  It was fully brought to past when Mary and Joseph stopped by a stable in Bethlehem, had a child, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and named Him Jesus.  God made a promise to Abraham and fulfilled that promise, although it took 42 generations to do it.  Ephesians 3 says that God has an eternal purpose, carried out in Christ, that has not changed regardless of how much the world has changed! 

With Jesus, the promise to all believers is eternal life.  He said, "he who believes in me shall not perish but have everlasting life."  He said it with confidence knowing that he was well able to deliver on that promise.  When he was crucified, I am certain that some who came to faith were afraid that Jesus was just another religious figure that angered the Roman government.  However, after three days, Jesus got up from the grave with all power!  His resurrection proved that: a. God the Father was satisfied with the sacrifice of God the Son b. It proved that He was actually God, as He had proclaimed and c. It proved that His promise of eternal life was real.

What is this hope that the Hebrew writer encouraged the readers of his day with and it still encouraging us with today?  First off, hope is from the Greek work elipdos which means an expectation of what is sure.  Hope is always based on a promise.  God makes promises and we can expect, with certainty, that He will deliver.  So the hope that the writer encourages us to hold on to is based on the promise that we will inherit eternal life from Jesus Christ!  The bible says that the hope is sure meaning it is not subject to shifting or wobbling- if you push is, it won't budge.  It also says that it is steadfast, meaning that is is solid enough for one to "walk" on and it will not give way.

That hope is truly an anchor.  The anchor has been dropped in Jesus.  No matter what happens in our lives, no matter how hard the winds blow, the one holding the anchor is heavier than the winds (see Romans 5:3,4).  No matter how dynamic the conditions of the world are, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever- He will not move or change!  That's good news for the believer.  What the writer here is saying is this: we need something certain, and this hope is certain.  1 Peter 1:4 says we have an inheritance stored up for us that is imperishable, undefiled and will not fade away and is reserved in heaven for you!  Peter also says that we have a LIVING hope rooted in the resurrection.  The word living is a verb, that means that it is alive, present tense and it is alive right now! 


If you are reading this, and you have not dropped anchor in Jesus, your boat is going to continue to drift.  If you are reading this and you've pulled up your anchor, please put it back.  Although we cannot see the promise just yet, IF God made it, then it is certain and our expectation of it will not be in vain.  Imitate the faith of the old saints in the hall of faith.  Live by faith and not by sight.  We should let our hope for eternity drive our every day lives.  We should live like we know what to expect if we stay rooted in Jesus.  We can expect heaven, with its gold streets, perpetual praise of God, angelic hosts and perpetual peace.  It is not a fairy tale, it is real, as real as the nose on your face.  Remember this, the anchor holds as long as it has been dropped in the right place.  God's grace and peace be upon you.