Christ anchors us during this chaos – How to find hope in Hebrews
Christ anchors us in chaos.
There is a lot of chaos going on around us all the time. But these days, at my work, with our families, in our society – the COVID-19 concerns are causing chaos as I’ve never experienced before.
The thing is, if it wasn’t the coronavirus, it would be something else. There’s always something that the media, the government, the world (the devil) wants us to be going crazy about.
And if we let it, we lose our anchored-ness in Christ.
When I was 18, my father passed away unexpectedly. In those weeks, I knew where my hope was secured. I knew – and firmly believed – that Christ anchored me. As an 18-year-old, I chose to make my forever commitment to Christ permanently inked on my ankle, and not once have I regretted it.
“It is well with my soul” encircles an infinity symbol complete with an anchor on the inside of my right ankle. The anchor comes from the verses I’ll share with you below. For me, it’s been such a blessing and a lovely reminder whenever I wear cuffed pants or dresses and see those little lines of ink.
Hebrews 6:19 tells us that Christ anchors our souls. Firm and secure, the (unknown but widely speculated about) author tells us. And the rest of the chapter shares that God’s promises are certain. What a welcome message to hear in these times of uncertainty.
Be refreshed and reminded of what it means to have faith, to have hope, to have unwavering trust in our God.
“10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 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. 18 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. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 6:10-20, NIV
God is not unjust
He can’t be. The Message version says of Hebrews 6:10, “God doesn’t miss anything.” He knows exactly how this chaos will be controlled when things will get worse, and when things will get better. He knows.
He also knows that we love him, and he will continue to treat us with the same kindness and love and grace that he freely gives. Faith and patience are what we’re called to as Christians – and in return, Christ anchors our souls.
We have this hope, friends. Don’t forget that.
The certainty of God’s promise
God promised Abraham descendants. He promised Israel salvation. He promised us rest and security in His great love. God gave his Word, and Hebrews reflects on just how certain we can be that God always keeps his word.
“18 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.”
When I first dove into Hebrews, I didn’t really understand what these two unchangeable things were. I read the verses over and over again hoping for inspiration and clarity and finally turned to biblical commentaries to give me the insight I craved.
Since that time, of course, I’ve forgotten what it means again, but in preparing to write I looked at The Message translation, which puts this idea into much more plain language.
“When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.”
Hebrews 6:17-18, MSG
Because God remains the same today, tomorrow, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), we know that his word – his promises – will remain the same as well. He will never fail us. He will never leave us. That’s why we have this hope.
That’s why Christ anchors our soul.
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Christ anchors us forever. He authors our hope. His love and faithfulness give us security. He also provides a solid foundation on which we can stand when everything around us is unsteady.
Now, today, forever. Christ has it under control. Health, sickness, poverty, prosperity, panic, peace – Christ anchors us.
Christ anchors us.
Christ anchors us.
Friends, take care of yourselves this week. Take care of your neighbors virtually and/or distanced, if you can. A smile when you see each other as you walk on opposite sides of the street or a surprise text message of encouragement goes a long way these days. Stay physically healthy, but don’t forget to check in on your spiritual health as well.
Are you anchored in Christ? If not, why not?
Read through Hebrews chapter 6 today and remember to breathe deeply. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul – firm, secure, and FOREVER.
Did this post or these verses resonate with you today? Let me know in the comments below. 🙂
Susannah
