June 2022- our Anchor

 This year has marked the platinum jubilee of the queen, she has been an example to leaders and has very faithfully served the nation for the last 70 years with dedication and devoted service. She is committed in her Christian faith and has stressed the importance that her faith has in her life. In one of her speeches during the Christmas broadcast of 2014 she said, “For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life,”. 

This Anchor that the Queen speaks about has enabled her to reign successfully through the many ups and downs in her life not only as the Head of the United Kingdom, but also as the Head of the Commonwealth. 

As Christians our Anchor is the Lord Jesus Christ. He says to His own, I will never leave you nor forsake you. As we think about “the Anchor”, let me draw your attention to Hebrews chapter 6 where the writer encourages us to continue strongly in our faith, because of the hope of the future promises that we have in Christ. 

In the last section of chap 6, Vs 13-20, the writer gives us the reasons for the certainty of our hope. He starts by giving an example of why God’s promises can be trusted. God made a promise to Abraham, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” (Vs 14), the writer to the Hebrews tells us that Abraham having waited patiently, obtained the promise. 

In Verse 17, the writer goes on to describe why the promises of God will come to pass, he says it is because the promises are based on the unchangeable character of God’s purpose, and therefore he encourages us to “hold fast to the hope “(vs 18). That hope he says is an Anchor to our soul (vs 19), which is both sure and steadfast and is based on one who has entered within the veil. Finally, he ends the sections in vs 20 by specifying it is Jesus who has entered into the veil, and it is He who has gone there as a fore runner for us. Later on, in Chapter 9 the writer tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ has entered within the Veil, not “by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Heb 9:16) 

At times we go through valley experiences, some of which can challenge our faith, can I encourage you to “Hold fast to the hope of God’s promise”, because in His promise we would find strength and stability to continue on in Faith. 

When the ship is anchored it is protected from drifting away. Our hope in the Lord Jesus keeps us safe and secure during difficult and uncertain times.