“…So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf…”
– Hebrews 6:17-20
Come Thanksgiving, many of us might be hitting the road to visit family, or surrounding ourselves with loved ones packing out our humble abodes, stressing over cooking enough to feed a small army, ironing out final game plans for this year’s Black Friday mania, or preparing to be asked a billion times “why you’re still single” or “when am I getting grandkids”, or still trying to figure out this “red cup” Starbucks conspiracy theory, and maybe even dreading those same-old, over-embellished stories Uncle Willie always reminisces about at the dining table before falling into a food coma in your favorite recliner.
Or maybe none of the above apply. Maybe you find yourself alone this holiday season. A loved one passed. You “mutually” broke up with your significant other after 3 years of dating. Work has been overwhelming. You can’t ever seem to fulfill your professor’s extraneously high hopes when it comes to English composition. Maybe you’ve lost all hope. But in both types of scenarios — the ones just mentioned and the ones at the beginning of this post — an emptiness common in every one’s life can be found. What I believe it all boils down to is the root of our affections, the focus of our mind’s desires, and the pride found so deeply embedded in our hearts that we so often confuse with self pity or even righteous humility. We are all looking for something to hold us fast, something to keep us from drifting into deeper depression; a life-long search for an anchor. This brings to mind the wise words of Corrie Ten Boom –
“In order to realize the worth of the anchor, one needs to feel the stress of the storm.”
The above quote rings true, but on the contrary, we all too often fall into the trap that comes in the form of a self-righteousness which is ultimately rooted in pride. Let’s take this to a biblical and more practical level.
We can all admit that we have a great tendency to go through life attempting to fight our sin on our own — without remembering for a split second who has gone before us to set an example by which we are to live — the one who has ultimately secured our salvation. This security of our souls rests firmly in the eternal, high priestly work of Jesus Christ; for He has already entered into God’s presence on our behalf. (For more in-depth info on high priests of the OT click here).
When Jesus says, “Follow me,” I think in a sense, He means into God’s presence. Only through Christ, and because of Christ, do we have a direct line of communication with the Father. Through God’s promises or “oaths” we are enabled to see beyond our limitations and experience His limitless power and provisions.
However, the truth remains that we are all still hard-wired to seek out something or someone to anchor our lives upon; we are always attempting to catch hold of something outside ourselves that will transform our detached existence into a state of stability. If we are going to anchor our life to something, we had better double, no, triple-check to make sure it is stable. How do we really know if something or someone in this life is worth anchoring our emotions, our hopes, and our lives to? We will only truly know that we have found a strong anchor when we realize that nothing else on this earth will do what Christ has done – that no-one can fill our eternal need of fulfillment as fully and completely as He will.
As the author of Hebrews clearly implies, the entirety of our justification and sanctification is founded upon this glorious truth — God’s promise and revelation in the person-hood of Jesus Christ. This conviction leads to a life-sustaining hope, and this hope is a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul“. Since Jesus has already gone before us as our high priest, we have no excuse when it comes to giving our lives for those around us.
Let us not be swept away by self-righteous ambition and isolation, but let us look up for our hope, never dismissing our command to serve those who surround us here below. Whether you are facing trial after trial or living in what feels like a spiritual rut — even when surrounded by family, friends, and football — none of these can ultimately secure infinite joy found only in our one true “High Priest” — our one true anchor.
In the end, since our high priest and forerunner has already gone before us — accomplishing all that we could never accomplish on our own — let us seek and find Him; because therein lies our one true anchor, held fast by the authority, person-hood, and love of himself, Jesus Christ.
So instead of just for one day every year — let us live a life of thanks — not just a few seconds of going around the table mustering up something we are thankful for. Living as a testament to the ultimate one to whom we owe our utmost of thanks, not for just the fleeting moments this Thursday as we stuff our bellies to the max and then quickly slip into our annual post-feast coma as football commentators argue in the background. This: Christ as our one true anchor, is something that we can be forever thankful for, not just for a couple months this time of year, but every waking second of our lives. Easier said than done, right?
Happy Thanksgiving.
GREATER DEPTHS 