An Anchored Soul

Sometimes the waters are calm.  The sun shines down on my face as I lay supine on the upper deck and I’m rocked by the gentle, rhythmic motion of the waves.   My course is set, the sails are full, and the sky shows no sign of bad temper.  Life is good.

I love the sailing.

But sometimes the conditions change.  Dark clouds encroach the heavens and rain begins to fall; the winds bolster and the waves rise.  My ship struggles in the rough water, peace is cast overboard, and panic steps in as first mate.  Life is hard.

I hate the storm.

And sometimes it gets worse.  Sinister waves rise hundreds of feet high tossing my ship back and forth, crashing down on her from above, damaging the bulwark and flooding her decks.  Her strong sails are beaten and torn by the tachypneic wind and I pray that my vessel proves seaworthy.  Life is uncertain.

I doubt the future.

Then, as a flash of lightning illuminates the sky for just a moment, my eyes are drawn to a glint at the bow of the ship.  A chain!  Leaning into the wind, shielding my face from the sting of the rain, with heavy footsteps I walk circumspectly toward the chain, to the place where my anchor waits.  If I anchor down; I stay on course.  If I stay on course; I can find my way home.  Life is promising.

I hope for tomorrow.

I hope for tomorrow…and the next day…and the next day…because as I lower my anchor, it doesn’t find rest on an ocean bottom, rather it fastens itself in the very presence of God my Father who holds my battered ship—and the ocean, and the storm—in the palm of His hand.

“This hope we have as an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil” (Hebrews 6:19).

Under Mosaical Law, the first and former Covenant established by God, the tabernacle served as the place of worship and animal sacrifices were made for the atonement of sin.  Inside the tabernacle was the Holy Place, where priests performed their daily ministries and duties of worship.  Within the Holy Place was a veil that separated the outer room from the inner room, known as the Holy of Holies.  The Holy of Holies served a sacred purpose and could only be accessed by the high priest, once a year, on the Day of Atonement; and only after the high priest made specific preparations.  It was here that the very presence of God dwelled among His people.

When Christ surrendered His spirit on the cross, the Old Covenant, in its weakness and imperfection, came to an end and a New Covenant was established (Hebrews 7:18-19).  With Christ as high priest and mediator of the New Covenant, He entered the Holy Place once for all and sacrificed Himself for man’s eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:15).  As His flesh was torn, so the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, allowing access into the Holy of Holies, for all who desire to draw near to God (Hebrews 10:20).

And that is where our anchor holds, sure and steadfast:  behind the veil in the presence of God.

I won’t be thrown off course, I won’t be lost at sea, and I won’t give up, because my anchor doesn’t hold to anything in this world.  I hope for tomorrow because my soul is anchored in Heaven.  Government may fail, persecution may come, illness may threaten, death may befall; but through every storm, every crashing wave, every gust of wind that knocks me down, my anchor holds strong in the presence of Almighty God.  

At times you may wonder, “Why the storm?”  There may even be moments when you turn your head upward to face the tempest with arms raised and fists clenched and yell, “God, why won’t you save me?”  Friend, God doesn’t need to save you…He already has.  Anchor down and take hold of the hope set before you.