Anchored

Imagine you’re on a ship in the middle of a raging sea. Dark clouds are building. The walls of water become rougher and rougher and rise higher and higher. Your saving grace? You look for a “hurricane hole,” a port with high cliffs or mountains to shield you from the harshest elements. Then you drop your steadfast anchor and pray that it holds. As much as the storm may batter and frighten you, you hope in the anchor. Without it, the you’re likely to violently crash into the very cliffs offering you protection. The anchor, which has so faithfully been with you through the calm and the hurricane, preserves your life!

“Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.” Psalm 71:3

“…We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:18-20

For first century Christians and the original readers of Hebrews, they clung not only to the symbol of the cross, but to the symbol of the anchor. Inscriptions on Christian tombstones of that era often included anchors alongside messages of peace and hope. “If I'm a first century Christian and I'm hiding in the catacombs and three of my best friends have just been thrown to the lions or burned at the stake, or crucified and set ablaze…the symbol that most encourages me in my faith is the anchor. When I see it, I'm reminded that Jesus is my anchor." (Michael Card)

We serve a God who offers us peace in the midst of chaos, hope in the midst of uncertainty, and courage in the face of suffering. The anchor held for our brothers and sisters in the first century, and it holds for us today. If you’ve surrendered to Jesus, you’re already in your “hurricane hole.” Take heart, and drop your anchor!

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

Father, thank you for your faithfulness. You never promised we wouldn’t face storms in this life. You promised you would walk with us, anchor us, and provide refuge for us in the midst of the storms of this life. Jesus, you endured the worst of storms so we could have the privilege of walking through our storms with You. Thank you. And thank you for Your promise that one day, storms will be no more. May we be people who know you, our Rock, our Salvation, our Anchor, and when we are tempted to drop an anchor that looks nothing like you, please draw us near to You so we’re able to recognize our only hope: You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.