“[Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul
[it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it—a
hope] that reaches farther and enters
into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil.”—Hebrews 6:19
Although I do not have any experience with
sailing, ships, boating or the anchor
that is used to hold them in place, I do have some experience with anchors that hold buildings in place
during storms with high winds. For many
years, we lived in southwestern Kansas where there is rarely a day that the
wind does not blow. As my friends in
Kansas can attest too, there are times that wind storms are liken to a gale
force that will move anything that is not anchored
down.
The apostle Paul wrote in Acts 27 about his experience
of a terrible storm that seemed like it would take his life and all the men who
traveled with him. However during this
terrible experience, the angel of God appeared to Paul and told him that
neither he nor any of his traveling companions would die. Although the circumstances
appeared that they would all perish, Paul was so confident in His Lord that he
ate food and encouraged all of his travel companions to eat. You see they had been fasting for three weeks,
but Paul encouraged them with Hope and Direction; he told them to eat so that
they would not be physically weak.
Seeing Paul eat, and hearing his encouraging words his companions
ate. In other words, they changed their
attitudes—how they thought about the trouble they were in. I believe that hope began to come alive in their hearts.
Anchors symbolized hope in Greek secular
world. The Greek word for hope, agkura, is used by the writer as vivid picture of that which
supports and keeps one steadfast in the midst of waves of doubt or stormy
trials. The anchor was an ancient Christian symbol for safety, security, and hope. If you fear,
if you doubt, place all your trust in Christ: the "Anchor" who holds forever.
The anchor is out of sight, but it holds and that is what matters. Within the veil, in our Scripture for today, is the unseen, eternal reality of the
heavenly world. A ship’s anchor goes down to the ocean; the
Christian’s anchor goes up into the
heavenly sanctuary and "moors" us to God Himself. We have an
anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll.
Since our hope is the anchor, the
meaning is that our hope is secured
in God’s very Presence behind the veil where Christ ever lives to make
intercession for the Saints according to the will of God. “Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw
near unto God through him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them”
(Hebrews 7:25).
What
an anchor is to a vessel in its tossing’s,
so hope is to us in our times of
trial, difficulty and stress. Put your
faith in the Blessed Hope—Jesus he
will hold you steadfast and secure.
