An Anchor for Our Souls
I am the queen of “if you don’t expect anything, you can’t be disappointed.” I am realistic to a fault and to hope for something, especially something that seems unlikely to happen, feels like a waste of time to my analytical brain. I think this is because, to the world, hope is fluffy.
The word “hope” is commonly used to mean a wish: its strength is the strength of the person's desire. You’ve probably heard the phrase “if it’s not coming to you, you must not want it bad enough.” Even the dictionary definition makes hope sound like a wish: “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true.” The problem with this definition is that our hope is based on the WHAT instead of the WHO.
Biblical hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness. Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future — it expects it to happen. In my Bible, the heading over Hebrews 6:13-20 says, “God’s Promises Bring Hope.” Verses 13-20 (NLT) say, “For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: ‘I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.’ Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So, God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us.”
We could talk for DAYS about the truth in that verse, but I want to focus on one area. Notice that it said Abraham waited PATIENTLY with confidence. What sometimes happens to us in the tension of waiting? Is our hope in God a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls or do we thrash about with the waves, drifting along aimlessly?
When I was a kid, my family made a huge move to the island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. I remember hoping SO HARD that I’d make friends in this strange new place. Fast forward 10 years and I was hoping the exact same thing as I got ready to move back to the U.S. as a teenager. Looking back on those days, they were TOUGH. But God came through both times. In adulthood, my ability to hope has been incredibly challenged by my singleness. Oftentimes it feels like that is the one area where God is silent and it has led me down a path of discouragement, anger, and disappointment more times than I can count. Christine Caine says, “The writer of Hebrews knew that we could be doing all the right Christian things, saying all the right Christian words, but be adrift and drifting still further until we eventually ask ourselves ‘how did I get here?’”
There are 2 key statements that make us drift right into ‘how did I get here?’ territory:
“If I don’t hope for it, I won’t be hurt if it doesn’t happen.” I mentioned earlier that I am the queen of this! This is a straight up lie. We think that by not hoping for something we are protecting ourselves but really all we’re doing is turning ourselves off to the things God has for us and making ourselves miserable in the process.
“I’m afraid it won’t actually happen.” This statement at face value seems like a fair one. We’re human after all so fear is part of the equation. But if we dig deeper, we find that at the core of this statement is a lack of trust that God is who He says He is. Ouch. I’ve wrestled with this one quite a bit over the years. What if I continue to hope for a husband and he never delivers? What happens to my relationship with Him then?
I have had to learn and re-learn that what gives us hope is a right perspective of God and our circumstances - even in the midst of our hardship. The reality is, in our limited perspectives, it will seem like hope fails sometimes.
Corrie and Betsie ten Boom were sent to a concentration camp during World War II as punishment for their successful attempt to save the lives of a few Jews. Corrie was released and lived to tell her story, even witnessing the transformation of one of her prison guards. Her sister, Betsie, hoped for the same, but died in the camp’s hospital weeks before Corrie’s release. It would seem that hope failed, right? Until we recognize the great, supernatural hope shining brighter than all the rest – “Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world” 1 Peter 1:13 (NLT). That’s not an in-this-life kind of hope. That’s a hope even death cannot interrupt. Corrie was released from a torturous prison. Betsie entered into everlasting freedom.
A right perspective of God and circumstances can help us see beyond the hurt and the pain. And although sometimes we don’t see it, He fights WITH us. We must be willing to be in it too and keep walking even when we’re scared, full of doubt, angry, confused, exhausted, etc. Deuteronomy 20:4 (MSG) “God, your God, is right there with you, fighting with you against your enemies, fighting to win.” I’m praying for you today, friend!
Erin is a speaker and leadership development professional who has been in the learning and development field for over 12 years. She has a unique ability to engage with her audience and create learning experiences that inspire change and action. She is poised,articulate and delivers her message with passion.
Erin feels that God has called her to use her professional skills to further His kingdom. She is passionate about helping people develop skills and knowledge that will empower them to answer Jesus’ call in their lives and understand how they are uniquely wired to respond to His leading. See Erin's other writings at:www.erhspeaks.com