If you read the New Living Translation of Hebrews 6:17-19, you will see where HOPE is described as the anchor of the soul. The image likens the person/marriage to a relationSHIP on the sea, and the couple is on that sea called life. Covenant Christians who have been married for more than just a few days can attest to the fact that there are troubles (storms at sea) that brew in our lives and threaten to drive our relationSHIP from its dock (Jesus Christ). Those storms can range from persecution to adversity to doubt—even death and other troubles that we don’t even like to imagine. However, there is HOPE. According to this passage of Scripture, we have two anchors when the storms of life come in our direction: God’s promise and His oath.
Let’s take a quick look at two words here: “hope” and “wish.” Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation; it is the anticipation of a thing happening. Wish, on the other hand, while it is often used interchangeably with hope, there is one definition that shows a very important variation in the two words. It describes the word wish as: to have a strong desire for something that CANNOT and probably WILL NOT happen. When we understand these words and their distinct differences, we also understand the difference in what we’re saying when we use them interchangeably. So basically, there are two main forms of hope. There is the lottery kind where one hopes for something that has only a fraction of a possibility out of a gazillion of turning into truth. That is the wishing kind. On the other hand, there is the inheritance of hope where one is heir to a fortune and it is GUARANTEED, by a will, of receiving it in the future. That’s the hope we’re speaking of. The Hebrew writer calls us (born again believers) “heirs of the promise.”
Unbelievers and confused Christians often treat God like a genie in a bottle. They approach Him only when they need Him to do something for them. Outside of what they wish for while they ignorantly try and stroke His ego with kind words—like one would rub or caress a genie bottle in hopes of getting their wish—they rarely even talk to God or allow Him to talk to them, for that matter. God is not a wishing well for strangers and occasional visitors to wander by and drop in a coin and expect their self-centered desires to come true. He’s not some magical mystical spirit tucked away in a corked bottle that we only uncork when we want something from Him. God is, however, our anchor, and as His obedient children (His heirs), we can place our hope in Him.
“God, desiring all the more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, guaranteed it with an oath” (Hebrews 6:17).
In marriage, this promise and oath should be reflective of the covenant relationSHIP made between a husband and wife, when we confess our promise and oath before God—which speaks to the marriage vows that promise each other to love, honor, cherish and yes, even obey, as unto the Lord.
God ordained the institution of marriage. The devil and this world, under his influences, would love nothing better than to kill, steal and destroy God’s image and likeness within this covenant relationSHIP. We were designed to bear spiritual fruit, and that fruit would reproduce, after its own kind, spiritual fruit that remain.
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul; a hope both sure and steadfast; a hope which enters within the veil where Jesus has entered as a prototype for us…” (Hebrews 6:19-20a, NASB).
This speaks to the importance of our relationSHIP with our Creator when we entered this promise and oath with one another as a couple. There is a third Person we must not forget or ignore in our relationsSHIP and that is GOD! The Bible records that what God has joined let no man (storm) separate.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to sail on a cruise ship, you’ve probably experienced what it feels like to enter choppy seawaters. Taking a cruise can be one of the most relaxing and invigorating experiences. If you’re a creative, you find so much inspiration on the waters. Having a balcony cabin is ideal, because it allows a person, without ever leaving his or her cabin, to experience standing or sitting on an attached deck while watching the sunrise or sunset. If you’re a romantic, sailing a cruise can spark a celebration of love like none other.
On the best of cruises, dolphins, in close proximity and far away, can be seen leaping in and out of the water as the ship sails along. From the top deck of a ship one can see what appears to be miles and miles of God’s beautiful creations. In the times when waters get choppy, though, the things that a person generally wants to do most (like be on the top deck or out on their balcony) become the things they want to do least of all. The same can happen with marriage. As beautiful as it is, and as much as it is indeed blessed by God, storms can arise that can make it troubling.
A cruise ship captain commands the overall operation of a ship and knows very well how to manage a crew and protect his ship’s passengers. He rides the ship along with everyone else and maintains the complex navigational systems and engines, and ensures every piece of safety equipment is in top working condition. In our individual lives and in the lives of our marriages, we must allow God to be the Captain. Just as with captains of cruise ships who will order the stabilizers of a ship to be activated to smooth the ride during times of storms or unsettled waters, as the Captain of our relationSHIPs, God will do the same for our marriages.
It is vitally important that we keep this in mind: In order for an anchor to stabilize a ship, it has to touch the bottom of the waterbed. This is necessary because the anchor has to be able to dig into the sea bottom to keep the ship from being tossed and from floating away uncontrollably. If we truly allow God to be our Anchor, and not only the Captain of our relationSHIP, we then not only give Him access to be on the boat with us, but also to be at the bottom (the root) of our relationSHIP. There, He can and will dig in deep, hold us steady and keep us balanced and afloat even in the stormiest of times. God will be our peace in the midst of the storm.
There is a symbolic determination that is a representation of the process of our decision-making. It says to the world, “This is where I’m anchored, and these are the rules by which I am governed.” It is an emblematic way to express our steadfastness as when an anchor is dropped from a ship and when the Anchor is lowered in our relationSHIP. The Anchor does not let the relationSHIP move uncontrollably or in unsafe manners once it is lowered. And for a couple, it is saying, “Because I have Christ as my Anchor, I shall not be moved!”
Drs. Michael & Kendra Holmes are the senior pastors of Deliverance Revival Church in Warner Robins, the founders of Royalty Relationship Coaching, LLC, the authors of the 31-day devotional, “Cross-Fire: Igniting Passionate, Purposeful, and Powerful Relationships,” and guests hosts of the new forthcoming television talk show, “The Marriage Circle Connection.” W.A.R. is an acronym for “We Are Royalty,” the official slogan of Royalty Relationship Coaching, LLC. Visit the website at www.RoyaltyRelationshipCoaching.com.
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