The Soul Anchored in Hope
Marcie Lemos,
Director of Philanthropy – Women and the Arts
November 30, 2023
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
Hebrews 6:19
How do we wait patiently, and not grow weary, as we hope for a certain outcome? We are told in Scripture, the soul anchored in hope shall be firm and secure. What is this hope the Bible calls us to trust in and cling to? The Hebrew meaning of hope refers to a cord tightly woven together that cannot be easily broken. The Hebrew word for hope, “Tikvah,” provides us with a concrete visual of a rope, as if hope is something we can literally reach out and hold tightly to.
Our hope in Jesus is like an anchor holding a ship in position despite the waves that may try to toss it to and fro. When we trust in the hope He offers, our souls are firmly planted in unwavering faith. Belief is breathed into the very essence of our being. We are strengthened to keep going the distance toward all He’s called us to!
In the English dictionary, hope as a verb, has definitions that include: “expect with confidence” and “to cherish a desire with anticipation.” When we hope for something, we are often found waiting in anticipation. Waiting is at the core of hope. Isaiah 40:31 encourages us, “…but they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Wow, what a picture…to mount up with wings like eagles! The Lord has set a roadmap to hope for us throughout His word. He calls us to wait patiently and our strength will be renewed. Hope is not only our anchor, but it is the fuel that keeps our souls strengthened in the waiting!
During this Advent season as we meditate on scripture’s recounting of the days leading up to the birth of Christ, we find many who waited in eager anticipation for the birth of the Messiah, Emmanuel, God with Us. Our anchor, Jesus, is the very hope of all existence. Jesus is the promise fulfilled. Scripture promises the coming of our King once again. God was, is, and is to come. He fulfills all of His promises. His promise to return again is the anchor of hope firmly holding and fueling us through every season we face here on Earth.
Whatever we may be eagerly anticipating, facing or will encounter in the future, we have a secure, firm hope found in Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us: the tangible, never failing, promised hope-anchor for our soul.
