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Anchor for My Soul




A couple years ago, I got a tattoo of an anchor on the inside of my left wrist. Not only have I always loved the water, but I wanted a reminder of Hebrews 6:19-20 that says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf..." So when I look down, I can be reminded that Jesus is the anchor of my soul.

This scripture got me through a lot of the hard times I've experienced in my life. I never want to forget that Jesus enters before me to the throneroom of grace. I have taken solace in the fact that Jesus intercedes for me on my behalf when I can't find the words to pray.

When I first really started to think about this passage of scripture, I thought about how the anchor is firm and secure in the seabed, keeping the boat exactly where it should be. So when my circumstances would rock me back and forth, I would get upset, because I'm supposed to be firmly grounded--I'm not supposed to be rocking back and forth.

Then I was in a Bible study, and the leader talked about Hebrews 6:19-20. She talked about the purpose of an anchor, which is to keep a ship safe and secure, or to help control the ship in bad weather. She went on to talk about how the boat can move all around the pivot point of the anchor. Just because a ship is anchored, it doesn't mean it stays stationary.

I honestly don't know why I would ever think that an anchor would keep a ship still--it's just the image I always had in my mind. The ship can still toss and turn when the storms come. But because it is anchored to the seabed, it will be easier for the ship to withstand the wind and waves.

Once again, I'm reminded that God doesn't promise us a life free of hardships. What He does promise is that He will never leave us or forsake us. (Duet. 31:6). God didn't take Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego out of the fiery furnace; He placed an Angel in there with them (Daniel 3). He doesn't tell us He will remove us from an evil situation, He tells us He will be with us when evil is all around us. He doesn't tell us He will prevent us from having to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He tells us that when we walk through it, He will be with us, so therefore we have nothing to fear. (Psalm 23:4). He doesn't tell us that He will take away our enemies, He tells us He will prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23:5). And as the anchor reminds me that God promises that Jesus will help me when the storms come.


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