The Anchor for the Soul
Opening Prayer
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge” (Psalm 18:2).
Read Hebrews 6:13-20
[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. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Why did Jesus enter behind “the curtain”?The previous passage warned about the unreliability of human faith. The chapter finishes with a profound statement of the absolute reliability of God’s promise. Abraham’s faith was severely tested (Genesis 22). Immediately afterwards God affirmed his promise to Abraham (16–18). His son Isaac, whom he received back, was the symbol of that promise and the means of it being fulfilled.So how secure is our faith? It is absolutely firm. It is based on God’s Word and on God’s purpose – both unchanging – so we can be “greatly encouraged” (18). Moreover, it is anchored to an immovable object – the throne of God (19). Just as an anchor is dropped from one element into another and disappears from sight, so Jesus has gone into the very presence of God. However, we are inseparably connected to him through the rope of our shared humanity, and when we pull on him we are firm and secure.This is the nature of Christian hope. It is based on something we cannot see but which tugs on us in our present experience. It draws us onwards to “where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf” (20).
Apply
Rest on the unchanging nature of the Father, on the work Christ has done on your behalf and on the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Closing prayer
Tender Lord, I am greatly encouraged because my hope is not in myself, it is in You and Your unchanging nature. Thank You.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.