323. Hope as an Anchor
Hebrews 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.
The usual symbol for the concept of Hope has always been an Anchor, for God promises hope as an anchor of the soul. An anchor steadies the ship and holds it in place in the face of storms and winds and currents that would set it adrift. My soul is the ship that is going to drift without something to hold it in place. The winds and currents of this world continue to blow and flow; it is possible at any time to get carried away. Hope is the anchor that is sure and steadfast, keeping me safe and secure. Using another metaphor, hope fixes me securely on the solid rock. Hope ties the soul to secure truth and sure promises. Hope is the present reality of something I cannot yet see; and it is even “more real” than what I can see.
The anchor of hope that holds my soul reaches “within the veil,” that is, it is secured onto something I cannot see behind the curtain. The veil is the dividing line between the seen and the unseen, the visible and invisible, the physical and the spiritual. We don’t have to pin our hopes on material things or on anything in the physical world. The hope is secured on the invisible things of God: forgiveness of sins, everlasting life, eternal salvation, resurrection of the body, a place with the Lord on the throne, a mansion in the eternal paradise, along with love, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The anchor could not be pinned in a more secure place.
Also behind the veil is the mercy seat within the Holy of Holies, where God dwells in all His glory. There Jesus entered, carried His Blood, and then sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat of God, thereby pleasing God with His sacrifice so that we can be absolutely certain that God is pleased with us. The Anchor of Hope is secured within that veil.
How do we know all this to be true? How can we have such a hope? How do we know for sure? How can we see the unseen? We know this, and we hope in it, because the Lord has revealed (unveiled) it all to us in His Word. The Holy Spirit comes with the Gospel to attach the end of the anchor’s rope to our heart. And we are forever connected to God and His life in an unbreakable way. Even though we do not see it we have the revealed Word and the convincing Spirit and the eyes of faith. We hold on to the hope and we remain in a secure place.