“Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever,” Hebrews 13:8.
When someone is planning a voyage at sea it is imperative to plan well and execute your plan yet be ready to adjust as necessary. A passage plan that includes assessing and charting the best route, determining possible problems and threats, being aware of how much weight you are carrying, knowing the tide tables, monitoring, and notifying other ships of your presence as you go from waterway to waterway are just a few important things to consider if you want to arrive safely at your destination. Upon arrival, you drop anchor to stabilize the ship and return to being a landlubber for a short period of time.
Our lives are much the same. We plan and access and adjust as we travel our unique adventures. When storms come, we look for safe harbor. If we’re caught unawares, we drop anchor to prevent being tossed around at sea.
If we look at church history, we find the early church engraved anchors on the tombs of dead believers in the catacombs of Rome. Despite their manner of death, these saints of old had hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus.
My (Bill) father served in the Navy retiring as a Rear Admiral. He was around ships and submarines for much of his life. During my childhood, I saw the massive vessels and it was shocking to see how enormous the anchors were. Perfect for little boys to climb on! To stabilize a ship or submarine of such massive tonnage the anchor had to be huge.
I recall these memories when I read in the Bible the reference to an anchor which is symbolic of our hope in Christ. Hebrews 6:13-19 we read,
When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 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.” (NIV)
Like us, you have probably faced a storm in your life where your heart and mind were flooded with fear, worry, and confusion. In those times is when all we can do is grasp ahold of God’s promises and encounter heaven’s hope through Jesus Christ. At those times it’s important to remember our hope and faith are in God’s promises. He is a Promise Keeper. He cannot break His promises to us.
He wants our hope in Him to be an anchor grounding us as we travel the sea of life. Like a ship, He doesn’t want us to drift off into hopelessness and the darkness of despair. Jesus is hope. He keeps us anchored when everything around us is tumultuous.
In the world, hope is defined by feelings. If we are feeling good, then we’re hopeful. If we’re fearful and worried, hope is nowhere to be found. For the Christian, hope isn’t established on our feelings nor our fears, it is established on the most trustworthy person who has ever lived. And He is eternally faithful to us and to His promises to us! Our Hope is Jesus! He is faithful, unshakable, and constant. “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever,” Hebrews 13:8. For this reason when storms come into our lives, we declare we have hope for the future. The world around us is grappling for hope and we are the ones with the answer. Jesus Christ, the Hope of the world!
Photo by shawn-henry-ZjSdIwwcjgk-unsplash.com
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