Read: Hebrews 6:13-20
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul . . . Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf. (vv. 19-20)
On the front lawn of my Alma Mater, right outside the chapel, stands a giant anchor with the words of the college motto written below: Spera in Deo, “Hope in God.” The motto comes from Psalm 42:5: “Hope in God . . . my salvation and my God.”
Emily Dickinson once wrote that “Hope is the thing with feathers/that perches in the soul,” that sings even through the fiercest storm. But Christian hope is not quite like that. It is not an internal emotion, a sort of wishful thinking or whistling optimism that helps us endure the hardships of life. Christian hope is the knowledge that one day we will see God face to face.
There are times when hope comes easily. When I see the sun set across the impossibly beautiful San Francisco Bay, I long for the beauty of another country, a heavenly one. And there are times when I find hope difficult, when the world appears ugly and gray and irredeemable.
But hope is not the product of my feelings: it is the promise of redemption. That is why the anchor is such a fitting symbol for hope. As Christians, we anchor our lives on the reality of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. God has raised Christ from the dead, and one day Jesus will return. Hope is not a subjective feeling; it is the acknowledgment of a historical fact: Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. —Jane Olson
As you pray, ask God to anchor your life in the promise of his resurrection.
About the Author
Jane Olson is a college counselor and high school teacher. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and children.
