“So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 6:19 NASB
“We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 6:19 MSG
Years ago this verse was the focus of a bible study I was in. The focus was for military wives and all the uncertainty that live holds. At the time, while there were many aspects of my life that were uncertain, this verse was never in question for me, nor did it really resound with me. None the less, I dug in with my group and gleaned all I could, tucking it away. If I didn’t find it helpful then, I knew it would be down the road.
Boy, did I hold onto that passage later. Life was dumped upside down and I was left in a storm with my anchor- the only thing that got me through the stormiest darkness I have ever lived.
Now walking through all the uncertainty and having to distance myself from people, I am finding this verse rolling through my thoughts again. So what exactly was so anchoring for me?
1. What the anchor is – it’s not just hope. Hope alone can feel like nothing more than a wish. It is where your Hope is placed- in Jesus. The steadfastness of the unchangeable God who does. not. lie.
2. Where your focus is – this where I find the struggle, the battle in the mind. The swirling of all the things, circumstances, the loneliness. Choosing to fix my eyes on the One who anchors my soul is where I find rest, relief.
3. How your anchor is tied – your lifeline to your anchor is your relationship with Him. Is my rope a string or a hefty battleship rope? My daily walk and time with Jesus is where the strength is built. Talk to Him; more importantly, listen to Him. Take the time to sit and be still in His presence.
I am finding lately that I need to take the time to sit. Sit with my Maker and go over my rope, retie my anchor and hold on.
Just.
Hold.
On.
