Adrift Without An Anchor
By Allan E. McNabb

My favorite recreational activity is boating, although I seldom have an opportunity to go out on a boat. Twice I found myself adrift without an anchor, nearly resulting in a boating accident. It’s not that we didn’t have an anchor, but the hook wasn’t set and we were allowing the boat to drift. Both incidences taught me an invaluable lesson.

Two Events in Life
The first time I nearly had an accident while adrift, I was on a lake. The batteries had gone dead and we were waiting for help to arrive. When I realized we would soon run aground, I threw out the anchor and waited safely for help.

The second time, my family was with another family aboard a boat in the ocean. We decided it was time to go and raised the anchor, taking our time to get under way and head back home. Before long, I realized we were quickly drifting toward land as waves pushed us toward shore. I alerted the owner of the boat, who quickly scurried to get underway, before grounding the 60,000 pound yacht.

We Need an Anchor
These two events reminded me that danger lurks nearby, when we allow our lives to drift without an anchor.
When we allow our lives to drift, we are “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14).

As Christians, we need an anchor to remain faithful, keeping us safe from the deceptions of Satan.

Hope is Our Soul-Anchor
Our soul-anchor is hope (Heb. 6:13-19). We believe that God cannot lie, and that He’s promised eternal life to everyone who obeys Jesus (Heb. 5:9). Therefore, we “take hold of the hope set before us” (Heb. 6:18). This hope, is an anchor to our soul (Heb. 6:19).

Jesus Keeps Our Anchor Securely Set, Behind the Veil
Jesus is the One who keeps our anchor secure, so it doesn’t give way and set our lives adrift.
“ This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:19-20).

Jesus is in the heavenly tabernacle, behind the veil (i.e., the Holy of Holies) where our soul-anchor is securely planted. This is the place Jesus entered, through His own blood having offered Himself and obtaining eternal redemption (Heb. 9:11-14). It is Jesus, and His sacrifice, that secures our anchor of hope in heaven.

As the old hymn says, “We have an anchor that keeps the soul, steadfast and sure while the billows roll, fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.”

Our anchor is hope. Jesus is the Rock that keeps our anchor steadfast, sure, and immovable, so that we don’t lose hope and drift away from God.

February 5, 2006