“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19
The anchor is a very important part of a sailing vessel. Be it a small boat or a huge cruiser – the anchor holds the vessel down by grounding itself into the seabed. This prevents the vessel from moving especially if there is a strong current that is sweeping it in a direction that it does not have the capacity to steer against.
Hope is an anchor for our soul. When situations look bleak and turn against us, we need to look to hope because it anchors us in the midst of crises.
Now, to put things into perspective, hope is not an immunisation jab in the arm. Like an anchor, hope grounds us well when everything around is going topsy-turvy in the wind. When the waves crash against our vessels, hope does not stop us from getting wet. Some of us will get sea sick when the sea continues to churn. There is the risk of getting thrown overboard if we do not stay within the safe confines of the vessel.
Take a look at the diagram above and you will see the anchor cast from the boat. There is a circumference of safety that the vessel will be anchored around. The boat might be moved around in a circle depending on the amount of slack that the anchor has, but by and large, no matter how the vessel is being tossed around, as long as that anchor sinks itself into the seabed, the vessel remains within a perimeter of safety.
We sing about “Christ being in the vessel that we can smile at the storm’, but did you know that He placed hope in us so that it would anchor us in the times of testing and tribulation?
How is the vessel of your life doing at this moment?
Well, you may say “I’m getting sea-sick and feel like throwing up” or “I think the boat is going to sink”… but think about that anchor. Hope is the anchor of your soul. It is firm and secure. Look to the One who gives hope. Your vessel might be tossed in the wind and splashed with the waves but it will remain robust in holding steady despite the rising tide and shifting dynamics of the storms of life.