Hope as an Anchor

Friday, January 28, 2010 Print Article
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Hope as an Anchor
Bishop Vashti McKenzie
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul." Hebrews 6:19 (NIV)

The anchor of a ship is much smaller than the ship itself. It is usually a weighted object at he end of a rope or chain thrown into he water. The anchor keeps the ship from wandering from one location to the next or it keeps it safely in place especially in a storm.

The anchor for our soul is our hope in Jesus Christ. This hope seems like a little thing compared to the problems we may experience. Yet hope can keep you from wandering towards self-destructive activities. It can keep you in safe harbors and stable in chaotic conditions.

The winds may be a gale force and the waves 10 feet high but the anchor keeps you steady in rough seas. You may not be able to see the anchor below the waves. Hope will tell you what your physical eyes cannot see.

But trust me...It's there!

Hope. This four-letter word is a paradox. You can't take hope to pay a bill but it will help you to hold on until help arrives. It won't get you a job but will keep you until employment arrives.

Hope will not put dinner on the table but it will keep you steady until food arrives.

In the book of Proverbs, the writer declares that hope deferred will make the heart sick. The psalmist sings that he puts his hope in God. It is where his hope comes from. This temple singer also encourages the people to put their hope in the unfailing love of the Lord. Paul tells the church at Corinth that hope is the third member of a trinity that includes faith and love.

The hope that is an anchor will keep our sols from being tossed to and fro by the turbulence of our times that competes with our pursuit of wholeness. It allows us to respond to the demands of the moment with resilience. God speaks to that hidden par of us so we can rise and fall with the tide without being destroyed.

We are a trinity of being- mind, body and soul. The soul is the deposit of the Eternal anchored by this Hope in the vicissitudes of challenge and change. Bishop Vinton R. Anderson writes in "My Soul Shouts" that the soul has no power to act but is the receiving entity that waits on God. The body and mind eventually fail.

The heart can be aggravated but the soul exists beyond the moment that our ashes are returned to ashes and our dust return to dust. Only God can find feed and touch the soul. Our sovereign Lord anchors our soul. It looks like a litter thing compared to the problems we face but this is the hope we have, the immutable ability of our divine Lord to hold that imperishable part of us, our soul.

"Slow your roll" today. Claim the hope of your faith. Sit quietly in the presence of God centering your thoughts on a power beyond yourself. You do not have to answer every ringing cell phone or knock at the door. Read Hebrews 6:19, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul."

Hope is like an overlooked twenty-dollar bill in the pocket of a garment. You didn't know it was there and was not able to use it when you were hungry, broke or tired. Hope found will give you the confidence to continue against great odds. What looked like impossible becomes possible.

Hope will sustain you. Be convinced today that the condition in which you live will change because God has the power to hold you steady and will give you a new vision about the way things can be.


As presiding bishop of the 13th Episcopal District of the AME, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie is a guiding example for women and church leaders throughout the country. Her messages can be heard online daily at www.thisisyourwakeupcallonline.com. For more information about Bishop Vashti McKenzie, log onto www.13thame.com