“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. He has become
a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 6:19-20 (NIV)
“We have this HOPE. .
.” The writer of Hebrews says in four words something we can cling to. We
have HOPE. It gets us through the difficult times of serious illness of our
loved ones, financially tough times, personal doubt, difficult relational
problems, and times of deep questioning.
“ . .as an anchor for
the soul . . .” An anchor on a boat keeps that vessel in place when its
occupants chose to stop at a certain spot. When my husband had a boat, the
anchor he used looked homemade. But it did the job well. In the ancient world,
the anchor was a symbol of hope.1
“. . . firm and
secure.” Those who believe in Jesus Christ also have an anchor. We have the
Holy Spirit. This third person of the Godhead, sent to us by Christ Himself,
assisting us by interceding for us when we have troublesome circumstances, giving
us what we need in order to conquer our fears and hearing our deepest pleas.
The Holy Spirit keeps us focused as we go through our days.
“It enters the inner
sanctuary behind the curtain. . .” In the Temple there is an area called
‘the Holy of Holies’, located behind the altar. The only person who can enter
this area is a chosen high priest—and then only once a year, the Day of Atonement.
The high point of a priest’s years of serving the Lord came should he be chosen
to enter this very sacred place.
“. . . where Jesus,
who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” Our Lord Jesus was our forerunner.2 One of the
meanings of the Greek word for forerunner is likened to a scout entering an
unknown area and making it safe for those who follow. “Jesus went into the
presence of God to make it safe for us.”3
We do have this hope in response
to all we, as individuals and nations, hear and see. We have Jesus.
1. Barclay, William, the Letter to the Hebrews (Revised
Edition 1962) Westminster Press page 62
2. Ibid. page 63
3. Ibid. page 63
I need this anchor for my soul! Thanks for this encouragement.
ReplyDeleteJeanette: Thank you for stopping in. I can't remember all the words to a hymn we used to hear sung at church. I think this is it.
Deletehttp://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/ruth_cye_jones/in_times_like_these-lyrics-914155.html
Yes, we have this hope... love how the writer puts it. Thanks for giving us this scripture in snippets, that always helps me.
ReplyDeleteMarja: Thank you for stopping by. The way the writer put this message caught me by surprise and spoke to my heart. I am glad it did the same for you.
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