Anchor of the Soul

Hello Everyone, 

There is a wonderful statement in Hebrews 6:13-20:  This is the way Weymouth translates vss.18 and 19:- “…..we may possess mighty encouragement – we who, for safety, have hastened to lay hold of the HOPE set before us.  That HOPE we have as an ANCHOR OF THE SOUL – an anchor that can neither break nor drag!” 

Being very much a prairie girl and having seen little of the sea or sailing, my knowledge of anchors was strictly limited to pictures!  So I went to the encyclopedia for more information.  An anchor is a heavy weight that is used to hold a ship or boat in place.  The most common kind of anchor is made of iron or steel.  A chain, made of special, high-grade steel, called an anchor cable, is fastened to the anchor and tied to the ship.  When the anchor is lowered to the bottom of the water, it catches in the mud to hold the vessel in place.  The type of anchor varies according to the size of the boat. 

The author of this passage in Hebrews assures us that God’s promises are like an anchor, both sure and steadfast, which can neither break nor drag!  How can we be really certain of this?  Well, the passage explains: 

When God gave His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, “Assuredly, blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendents as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore…and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed…”  And so, as the result of patient waiting, Abraham obtained what God had promised.  

Men swear by what is greater than themselves, and with them an oath in confirmation of a statement always puts an end to a dispute.  In the same way, since it was God’s desire to display more convincingly to all to whom the promise of salvation was made, how unchangeable His purpose was, He added an oath.  In this way, through two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for Him to prove false, we may have a strong consolation – “we who, for safety, have hastened to lay hold of the HOPE set before us.” 

The two immutable, or unchangeable things?  GOD’S PROMISE and GOD’S OATH.  Or we might say, His WORD and His NAME.  

Since there was none greater to whom to appeal, God made Himself a kind of third party or mediator between Himself and us.  So we have a double ground of confidence, in GOD the PROMISER Who gives us His WORD, and in GOD the GUARANTOR Who confirms it by His OATH.  There is therefore no possibility of our being deceived or disappointed.  Jesus offers us new hope because He has entered the innermost Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, not only on our behalf (for us) but also ‘as a forerunner’, opening the way for us to follow Him and thus enabling us to draw near to God.  Also, like an anchor, He offers us a sure and an abiding confidence because, in the innermost Sanctuary of God’s Presence, He abides as our High Priest forever. 

Upon life’s boundless ocean where mighty billows roll,
I’ve fixed my hope in Jesus, blest anchor of my soul;
When trials fierce assail me as storms are gath’ring o’er,
I rest upon His mercy and trust Him more.

He keeps my soul from evil and gives me blessèd peace,
His voice has stilled the waters and bid their tumult cease;
My Pilot and Deliv’rer, to Him I all confide,
For always when I need Him, He’s at my side.

He is my Friend and Savior, in Him my anchor’s cast,
He drives away my sorrows and shields me from the blast;
By faith I’m looking upward beyond life’s troubled sea,
There I behold a haven prepared for me.

I’ve anchored in Jesus, the storms of life I’ll brave;
I’ve anchored in Jesus, I fear no wind or wave,
I’ve anchored in Jesus for He has pow’r to save,
I’ve anchored to the Rock of Ages.

             (L. E. Jones)

 We have an anchor that keeps the soul / steadfast and sure while the billow roll / Fastened to the Rock which cannot move / grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

 “May God, the Giver of HOPE,
fill you with continual joy and peace because you trust in Him,
so that you may have abundant HOPE
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13 Weymouth)

In Agape, Eulene