An Anchor for Our Souls
Church this past Sunday
I’ve been shaken lately by the state of our country and our world. Shaken by the hatred people keep spewing at each other; by COVID-19 and the reality of our new normal; by our divisive political system; by racism, racial tension, and riots. I could go on and on. I am shaken, but I am not overwhelmed.
There’s only one reason I can live today without total fear, anxiety, and disappointment:
Jesus.
He is my hope, as firm and secure as anchor.
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself: I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you. And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:13-20)
I am easily tempted to put my hope in changing, temporary things. Even as a believer, I still fail to trust God, and I still look to earthly things to satisfy me. Here’s a few that tend to make the rotation. Perhaps you can relate:
Work
Money
Home
Stability
Comfort
Control
Relationships
Marriage
Children
Health
Government
These things are fading away. This world is not our permanent home. Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one (Hebrews 11:16). God tells us to not love the world or the things in the world (1 John 2:15). Instead, “be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
Christ is on the throne. He is unchanging, and He is always true. He keeps His promises. As the author of Hebrews writes, God wanted to show his unchangeable promise even more clearly so he guaranteed it with an oath. What does that mean?
To see the full picture here, we need to start in the Old Testament. Tim Keller’s sermon “A Covenant Relationship” has helped me understand this oath more clearly. In Genesis 15, God tells Abram that He will bless him and make his offspring as numerous as the stars. Abram believes God but wants to know how he can be sure. Remember Abram is old, likely in his 70s at this point, and his wife Sarah is barren.
So God asks Abram to arrange dead animals, cut in half, in two rows. Abram thought he was setting up what a typical oath would look like: A servant would kill the animals, divide them, and arrange them in two rows. Then the servant would walk between the pieces to swear loyalty to their master. The servant is essentially saying if they don’t keep their promise, may they be cut into pieces like those animals.
What instead happens is that God Himself passes between the pieces. Keller explains, God is promising that He will bless Abram, and He says He will die if He doesn’t fulfill this! Furthermore, God doesn’t ask Abram to walk through the pieces. Abram doesn’t make an oath whatsoever. This is all God.
God made this oath with us. He gave us Jesus, and our hope as believers is firm and secure.
As Keller perfectly states, “Jesus Christ absolutely fulfilled the conditions of the law so that God could love you absolutely unconditionally.”
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or lost, maybe it’s time to turn off the news, delete your social media apps, and look to God’s Word. (Hello, preaching to myself here.) Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). If we want peace, we have to look beyond this planet. We have to trust in the promises of God and take encouragement from His great hope.
If you’re not a believer in Jesus or you don’t know what to think about all this, will you message me? I’m praying this crazy time leads you and many others to love God and live for Him.
And if you are a Christian, then let’s remember to lift one another up by the hope of the gospel. By the fact that God took on the curse we deserve and still guarantees us the blessing, by faith through grace. Let’s be the light this world needs.
The Anchor of My Soul
I'm saying goodbye to two of my favorite people this week. They've been my friends for the entirety of my time in NYC, and now it's time for them to begin life in a new city. I am excited for them—but it's taken me some time to get to that place.
Over the course of this past year, I've said goodbye to more and more friends. New York City is a transient place, and farewell parties have become par for the course. I've heard that they're especially common during one’s three-to-five-year mark in the Big Apple. I have just hit three years in the city, and the number of goodbyes seems to come in waves.
My closest friends here are really my family, which makes saying goodbye to them that much more difficult. I don't like to say goodbye (does anyone?), and for a while, I felt deeply saddened by some of my friends’ decisions to leave. Beyond feeling sad, though, I felt a nagging sense that I was somehow being left behind.
What is so wrong with living in New York City? Why does everyone want to leave? Should I stay here? Am I going to be the old spinster who stayed in the city while everyone else moved away?
I know: totally over-dramatic. But those thoughts definitely came up. People are leaving because they have exciting new job opportunities, or they recently got married, or they have babies. They’re moving because they’re ready for a change and a new chapter. And these are all good reasons to move. Yet their moves have made me turn a mirror to myself and wonder if I was in fact the foolish one for staying. I felt as though I'm missing out on something. They’re moving on while I'm here in the city, still doing my thing, figuring it all out, and taking life one day at a time.
Relationships are shifting, and change is in the air. It’s been unsettling. For three years, I've relied on my friends and community here in the city as the foundation I stand upon. I can see how much stock I placed in these relationships because the ground under my feet now feels shaky.
As I’ve been processing through all the change, though, I keep being reminded that my true foundation comes from something that cannot be taken away.
“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.”
Jesus is the same then, and now, and forever. He is the true rock I can stand on. If I look back on my life, I see that in all of my own moves and job switches and relationship changes, He has been there as my anchor.
Look at the dictionary definition: an anchor is a heavy device that is attached to a boat or ship by a rope or chain and that is thrown into the water to hold the boat or ship in place. It’s also a person or thing that provides strength and support.
I have rocked and swayed. I have come against high winds and waves. The course seems uncertain. Still the anchor is sure. God’s will is steadfast. It’s no mistake that He has me right here, right now, even when it seems like everyone is moving on without me. He’s not going to let me drift away into something that isn’t His best for me. God has me on a different path. Right now, that means living in New York City and continuing to listen to the call He has for me. He has not forgotten about me or left me behind. I’m always looking for the next best thing, to grow, progress, and turn the page to a new chapter. Perhaps the new chapter is right here, and I’m growing by simply staying put.
I am adopting a lens of understanding. Leaving the city doesn’t make someone weak or mean they’re running away. That’s what I used to think about people who left, and it's simply not true. We each have different paths. In the same vein, staying here doesn’t mean I’m missing out on a better life. Wherever we are being called and however our surroundings may change, the anchor stays the same. So now I can celebrate and share in excitement with people who are moving. He’s cultivating in me a grateful heart. How amazing that God has provided such wonderful relationships here in the city; He’s given me people to miss.
Thinking of my life in this way has been a game-changer. I’m still sad that my friends have moved or are moving away. When the next person tells me they are leaving the city, I will still be upset. But I know ultimately my course is on track. My foundation is intact—I have the surest anchor of all, and I am okay. The Lord has me right where he wants me.