An Anchor Works Unseen

Grace for All

Hope, No Matter What

(our theme for September)

Hebrews 6:19-20 (CEB)

This hope, which is a safe and secure anchor for our whole being, enters the sanctuary behind the curtain. That’s where Jesus went in advance and entered for us, since he became a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

I’ll confess that I know very little about boats, even less about ships. But I don’t think you have to be an expert to understand some basic things about anchors. I know an anchor helps hold a boat in place. It does so because of its weight, both the anchor itself and its chain, and because it digs into the seabed.

I read about a Leopard 42 catamaran named “Valiant Lady” that safely rode out three major hurricanes anchored in about 12 feet of water just off the Intracoastal Waterway in North Palm Beach, Florida. They used a special tandem arrangement of anchors that kept their boat safe. They had a reasonable hope of safety because they had confidence in their anchors, even though they couldn’t see them. You never really see an anchor in use because it’s underwater on the seabed.

In the same way, Jesus followers can have hope for weathering the storms of life. It's not the flimsy wishful thinking we often associate with the word, but something far more substantial. "This hope," the ancient text says, "is a safe and secure anchor for our whole being."

But what makes this hope so different? According to the writer of Hebrews, it's all about location. This hope "enters the sanctuary behind the curtain" - a poetic way of saying it's anchored in a realm beyond our physical world. In nautical terms, imagine an anchor that could reach through the ocean floor to grip bedrock - that's the kind of security we're talking about.

The text goes on to introduce a fascinating historical figure: Melchizedek. This enigmatic priest-king, mentioned briefly in even earlier writings, represents a spiritual lineage predating organized religion. The author draws a direct line from Melchizedek to Jesus, presenting the latter as a "high priest" in this ancient order.

It's time to revisit this age-old concept of hope. Not as a passive waiting game, but as an active force—an anchor we can deploy in life's stormiest moments. It's an invitation to look beyond the visible, to find our footing in something deeper and more enduring than the shifting sands of circumstance.

As we navigate the complexities of modern life, this ancient idea offers a compelling proposition: that true stability comes not from what we can see or control, but from anchoring ourselves to someone beyond the turbulent surface of our immediate reality.

Let’s pray:

Father, thank you for giving us the perfect anchor for our lives. Help us to lay hold of the safety and security we have in Jesus. In His name we pray, Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.