October 25
Jeremiah 46-47
Psalm 119:17-24
Proverbs 25:25-26
Hebrews 6:13-20
The Anchor for Our Lives
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself. And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 6:13, 15, 19-20 HCSB
In this passage of scripture, Paul uses three different images to help us understand the concept of hope. Merriam-Webster defines hope as “to cherish a desire with anticipation, to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment, to expect with confidence.”18 In I Timothy 1:1 Paul tells us that the object of our hope is Jesus Christ. He begins with giving us reason for our hope. Our confidence is based on evidence. God has given numerous promises in His Word. The example Paul uses is God’s promise to Abraham and the fulfillment of that promise that can be proven historically. The Bible is filled with promises that have been fulfilled. The implication is that God can be taken at His Word. If He promises to do something, we can be confident that He will do it. Our hope is not wishful thinking. We know that if we place our faith in Jesus, we have eternal life. He has gone to prepare a place for us in Heaven and He will return and take us to be with Him. Those are promises that we can place confident hope in.
Then Paul explains what hope accomplishes for us. He gives us the practical result of hope. Our hope is an anchor for our lives. Anchors prevent a ship from being swept away by wind or waves. They also prevent the ship from being dashed against the rocks close to shore and torn apart. During a tempestuous storm, a ship can be tossed back and forth on the mighty waves until it is close enough to shore for the sailor to toss out the anchor. They are then able to ride out the storm in confidence knowing that the cable is strong, and the ground is firm. Though shaken, the ship holds firm. The wind and rain rages on, but she is secure. Eventually, the storm calms and she can reach the shore safely. Because we have Jesus as our hope, we can ride out whatever storms come into our lives. We may be shaken and tossed, but we hold firm. The wind and waves may rage all around us, but we are secure. We hold to the promises in God’s Word, and we can come through the storm safely. If hope is the anchor, faith is the cable that attaches us to that hope. Without the cable, the anchor will not hold us steady. Once the anchor is thrown over the side of the ship, it cannot be seen. “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) Faith tethers us to the anchor of hope. Finally, Paul explains that we have hope because Jesus has entered the inner sanctuary as our High Priest, and He has gone before us to His Father where He intercedes on our behalf. He has secured our place in Heaven and is waiting to take us there to be with Him. Our future is secure. We can rest in the assurance and confidence He provides.
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