Day 19 - Hope as an Anchor

Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Hope as an Anchor

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
Hebrews 6:19,20

Today, no less than in the days of sail, an anchor is a necessity for any sea-going vessel. Without an anchor to secure it, a ship can easily be blown upon rocks or reefs, sandbanks or shoals. Especially when stationery, a ship needs an anchor to secure its position and to prevent it from drifting into danger. Properly secured on a rocky sea bed, an anchor keeps a ship safe.

Hope is an anchor. When secured in the rock-solid promises of God, hope keeps us safe. We may be battered by the winds of change, threatened by the reffs and shoals of destruction, but if we are “fastened to the Rock which cannot move” we are “grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.”

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews sees that hope in the priestly function of Jesus. The imagery is unfamiliar to us, but would have been obvious to the letter’s original recipients. When Jesus enetered “behind the curtain” He entered, figuratively, into the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem. Only the High Priest could enter this room, and then only once a year. Jesus entered the Holy of Holies when He offered His life as an atonement for our sins. Unlike the High Priest, Jesus did not leave. Now, Jesus sits “at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3) and remains there as the guardian of our souls. Those souls are anchored within the inner sanctuary, and Jesus stands guard over them. That’s why we can say that we have an anchor that will not fail.

Hope, therefore, for the Christian, is sure and certain because it depends, ultimately, not upon us but upon the finished work of Christ. Without Him, there could be no salvation; with Him, our eternal hope is secure.

Prayer for the Day
Lord Christ,
by Your passion and death You overcame
the power of death and death’s domain;
by Your rising again You proved that Yours is the power,
and the glory forever.
We trust in You.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.