Choosing HOPE as my word of the year for 2017 has caused me to think about what it really means to be anchored in the Lord. Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”  What HOPE was the author of Hebrews referring to? Verses 17 – 18 make it clear that (1) the unchanging nature of God’s purpose, and (2) the truth that God doesn’t change and that it’s impossible for Him to lie are the HOPE we are to hold onto. In other words, our HOPE is found in God’s unchanging Word and character. 

So why do our souls need an anchor? This question caused me to ask myself why a boat needs an anchor. The anchor prevents the boat from drifting away with the current. If sailors didn’t use anchors, their boats would drift aimlessly around the harbor or, if caught in the right current, out to sea. Anchors serve a useful purpose, they help control a boat’s movement when the captain wants it to remain steady for any of a variety of reasons.

I am currently walking at a place where my need for an anchor to keep me from “drifting out to sea” is obvious. The “wind and waves” of life could easily cause me to “drift aimlessly out to sea” if my life were not anchored in the Lord.  God’s desire – His unchanging purpose – does not include us being tossed to and fro by the winds of adversity. Our “Captain” wants us to remain steady, even in the storm. And therefore, He has given us hope as an anchor. 

This hope is not like the “hope” of this world, which is wishing for something with no real assurance that it will happen. No, the HOPE The Lord gives us is a sure and confident expectation that our God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. It is a steadfast trust and faith in God’s faithfulness.