Pastor: Roger Snow
Calvary Baptist Church
Do you ever feel like you’re running low or out of hope in your life? I think at some point in time we all may feel that way. So what can we do about that?
Hebrews 6: 19 & 20 tells us: “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”
The anchor has but one purpose and that is to steady the boat. We all need a good anchor. Why? Because you have a valuable vessel – your soul. When God breathed into Adam, he gave him more than air, he gave him a soul. The anchor for the soul is set, not on a boat, person, or possession, but on the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where Jesus has entered on our behalf. In other words, our anchor is set in the throne room of God. Death, failure, betrayal, sickness, or disappointment cannot take away your hope, because none of those things can take away Jesus. However, we must keep the faith, be obedient, listen to what He tells us, trust and pray and He will always be our anchor.
Remember the story about Peter? Despite Peter’s vast fishing experience, he returned from a night’s work with nothing to show for his efforts. It’s quite possible that the Lord’s request to let the nets down one more time struck him as unreasonable – after all, Peter and his partners were the professionals. Nevertheless, the fisherman complied, and his obedience blessed many.
Scripture demonstrates that divine plans often defy human logic. For instance, who would design a battle strategy that involved only marching and shouting. I spent 20 plus years in the military (Army) and never did I see a battle plan like that. Yet, God told Joshua to conquer Jericho that way, and doing so proved successful.
Moses is another example. When he felt unsure about his leadership potential, the Lord gave reassurance in an unusual way – by telling him to throw down his walking stick. When Moses obeyed, God powerfully confirmed His choice of leader.
God may ask us to do something that seems illogical – perhaps to accept more responsibility when we were hoping to reduce our workload, to leave a position that He provided just recently, or to take on another assignment for which we feel we are not qualified to do. His plan might feel unrealistic in view of our age, where we are at in this stage of our life, or health concerns. However, we must press forward in obedience, regardless of how impractical the request may appear and remember we have an anchor to steady us along the way.
To grasp the importance of obeying, think about children receiving instructions from parents or teachers. Careful listening is needed for the task to be done safely and properly. Some steps may seem pointless, but the rationale often becomes clear later on. Always make obeying God your priority in life and He will always be your anchor and there is not one of us who does not need God as our anchor to steady us and keep us on the straight and narrow in life. God Bless.