WHO IS YOUR ANCHOR? | Northstar Church

“God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf…” – Hebrews 6:18-20 (NIV).

The writer of Hebrews uses the image of an anchor to describe the confident hope we can have in God. When a boat is in open water, away from a dock, nothing can keep it in place but an anchor. The anchor keeps the boat from drifting off in any direction. No wonder Hebrews calls hope “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” That is what an anchor is for a boat, and that is what hope is for our souls.

We need an anchor so we “ won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (Ephesians 4:14,15).

We experienced another hurricane last week. When a hurricane hits, it can knock out everything that brings us comfort and security. We see the devastation firsthand. The reminders are all around us in the form of severely damaged buildings and homes. It will take months for many people to rebuild battered lives and return to normalcy. In the interim, they live with no communication, no TV, no internet, no electricity, etc.

People always ask how we keep faith and trust in God when hurricanes strike. We keep faith because we have an anchor in Jesus Christ. Most of the time, when we put our anchor out, it is usually so deep that it isn’t visible. And isn’t that like the hope we have in Jesus? He is the hope that doesn’t disappoint. We can’t really see it, but as Romans says, “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees” (Romans 8:24)?

Jesus is our hope and anchor. He keeps us safe, our hearts, our minds, and our souls. He secures our place in heaven. He guides us so that we don’t sink. He tells us to keep our eyes on Him while walking on water and keeps us firmly planted so that we don’t get tossed around in the waves more than we should. He is the solid rock on which we can stand, our hiding place and our safe refuge.

Without that anchor, we can drift. Our minds drift, our thoughts drift, our insecurities grow, and so do our fears. God could take away all of our struggles and the thorns in our sides. He could eliminate hurricanes and every other storm in life. But He doesn’t, and He won’t. If He did, we would not be running to the foot of the cross daily so that our anchor is secured.

Have you ever noticed what an anchor looks like? What shape is the top of it? It is a cross. It seems appropriate.

Discussion Questions:

What hopes are you holding onto?
Where and how are our hopes anchored, firm, and secure?
How does this anchor hold us secure during the storms of our lives?