The Promise of an Anchor for the Soul

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner” (Hebrews 6:19-20).

Everyone has an anchor.

The only question is, how well does it hold? If your soul is anchored to your money, what will you do when the money runs out? If your soul is anchored to your spouse, what will you do when your spouse is taken from you? If your soul is anchored in your career, what will you do when you are fired? If your soul is anchored in your happiness, what will you do when hard times come?

If you put your anchor in the sand, it will never hold. You need a place for your anchor to rest so it can’t be moved. Nothing in this world will ever be strong enough when your life falls apart. We need an anchor that cannot be moved no matter what happens, which means we need an anchor that is quite literally “out of this world.”

That’s what we have.

Most of us think of an anchor that goes down to the bottom of the ocean, but we have an anchor that goes up to heaven. Our anchor rests in the Holy of Holies in heaven, behind the curtain, in the very presence of God himself.

Guess who’s already there? Jesus!

The word “forerunner” describes a smaller boat that went ahead of a large ship to guide it into the harbor. When the storms are raging, the “forerunner” boat goes ahead of the large boat and drops the anchor in the harbor, so the large boat is safe during the storm. When the storms are past, the big boat enters the harbor also.

Jesus leads us home to heaven.

You couldn’t be safer than you already are because we are already anchored in heaven. It’s not as if Jesus said, “I’m going to show you the way, but then you’re on your own.” It’s more like this: Jesus went ahead of us into heaven, and then he became the anchor for our soul.

We’re hooked up with Jesus in heaven.
We’re as safe as Jesus is safe.

That’s why the hope is called “firm.” The word means “never failing.” It comes from a Greek word that combines a word meaning “totter” or “fall” plus the word “not.”

Our anchor will never fail.
Our anchor will never slip.
Our anchor will never give way.

Our anchor holds because it rests on Jesus in heaven.

Lord, I do not pray for more faith. I ask instead for greater confidence in your faithfulness. Amen.

Musical bonus: Let’s begin our musical journey by listening to a performance of the traditional Advent hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by Forte Femme.

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