HOPE IS THE ANCHOR
OF OUR SOUL
Introduction:
None
of us foresaw what 2020 was going to bring upon us. In early February and March,
our country woke up to a rude awakening by the storm of COVID-19 hitting our
shores. The waves of COVID-19 infections, along with the death toll, gradually
began to rise. I remember watching the news on March 27, shocked by the death
toll reaching 1,100.
I prayed and said, “God, please have
mercy on us, stop this evil.” We sincerely hoped and prayed and even somewhat
believed the words of our president, who said, “This COVID- will disappear from
our shores by Easter April 13.” We are now in August, and the US is
leading as the number one country when it comes to COVID deaths at 170,632
One report suggests that one person
dies in the US every 80 seconds.[1] Do these deaths bother us,
or have we become numb to the numbers? With such staggeringly rising deaths and
not knowing when we will see an end to this Pandemic, one begins to lose hope. I sense and hear people are genuinely anxious
and afraid for their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Amid such panic and uncertainty,
where should we turn to find strength and solace? Who can bring hope to our
seemingly hopeless situation? On whom can we pin our hope for our future? Who
could be the anchor of our souls during these storms of adversity?
In the last two weeks, we have been
challenging ourselves to become spiritually mature and continue to run the race
by looking to Jesus. God has been calling the backsliders, the prodigal sons
and daughters to come back and embrace His Son, Jesus Christ.
From our study together, I hope we
will find some answers to the nagging questions of life. After urging believers
to grow up and the perils of falling away from their faith, the author points
them to God’s unfailing promises. I title this; “Hope is the Anchor for Our
Souls.”
During these days of Pandemic, if
there is one thing people around the world are struggling to hold on to is, “Hope.”
Here is a powerful quote from Nelson Mandela, who never lost hope during the
most horrendous eighteen years of his life on Robben Island. “Difficulties
break some men but make others. No ax is sharp enough to cut the soul of a
sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in
the end.”
Hope gives us the power to endure
all odds in life. Why is hope such a precious commodity that you must never
lose? Listen to the wise saying of King Solomon, Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred
makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” And once your
heart is sick, the rest of your life is sure to be affected. What makes us lose
hope?
I.
DEPRESSION DEPRIVES OUR HOPE
Depression is one of the significant
factors that drive people to the edge of hopelessness. One report shows, “A third of Americans report anxiety
or depression symptoms during the Pandemic Young adults are experiencing the
highest rates of mental health strain during the Pandemic, according to new CDC
data.”[2] Whether we like it or not,
in the days to come, mental health becomes a massive crisis in our nation and
our communities.
. Are we ready as a church to face
such a challenge? What does it take to get us there? The scriptures have
several examples of those who were depressed; one of them was King David.
Listen to his struggle with depression. Psalm 42:5, “Why am I discouraged? Why
is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again, my
Savior, and.’
II
FEAR PARALYZES OUR HOPE
Fear is a real factor that
paralyzes our hope. Fear of any kind may it be fear of rejection, failure,
death, the unknown and uncertain future can render us powerless and helpless.
Fear is not necessarily a bad thing;
it is a survival mechanism. But being fearful all the time or having specific
phobias may be destructive. Knowing how anxious and afraid human beings can
get. God has given us many scriptures to encourage us not to be fearful.
When you are scared of your future
read, Isaiah 41:10, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with
my victorious right hand.” When you are afraid of the bad news, read Psalm
112:7, “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for
them.”
When you are afraid of death,
especially during these days of Pandemic, read Psalm 23:4, “Even when I walk through
the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod
and your staff protect and comfort me.” The third thing that makes us lose our
hope.
III
BROKEN PROMISES HINDERS OUR HOPE
How many times were we disappointed
by broken promises of people? People with all good intentions make specific
promises, but often they may not be able to keep those promises. Especially influential
people make promises and break them; we are hindered in our hope, and we don’t
know who to believe anymore. To show the distinction between the broken
promises of people and God who never breaks His promises, the author used the
story of Abraham.
Vs. 13-14 “For example, there
was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God
took an oath in his own name, saying: “I will certainly bless you, and I will
multiply your descendants beyond number.” You find more details in Genesis
17-22:17.
In Gen 17, God promises Abraham that
he will give them countless descendants. In chapter 18 promises a son. In 21,
we read about the birth of Isaac, and in 22, God tests Abraham to offer his
only son Isaac. Abraham obeys the Lord and takes his son to offer him as a
sacrifice to the Lord. After seeing Abraham’s obedience, God promises him this
time with an oath.
Gen 22:17, “Because you have obeyed
me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name
that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond
number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.”
Whether this promise will come true
or not depends on God’s unchangeable nature. Vs. 17-18, “God also bound himself
with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure
that he would never change his mind. So, God has given both his promise and his
oath. When we think of the swearing ceremony, we see the president of the USA
lifting one hand towards God and placing another hand on the Bible, making an
oath to protect the constitution and take care of the nation. Why we make him
or her swear?
Ordinarily speaking, the swearing of
an oath belongs to our fallen human society, where often a man’s word is not
trustworthy. God’s word in itself is reliable, when God swears by himself,
since there was no one else was higher than him then, and even now it makes
doubly dependable. In other words, God’s promise will come to pass no matter
what, that is our hope.
God’s promises and his oath are
unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. All of God’s promises are
yeah and amen, and all of God’s promises will come to pass, some of them
perhaps in our time and certainly the rest in His time. Let me give you an
example.
At age seventy-five, Abraham received
the promise of God. He had to wait for 25 years patiently against all the odds
to see the promise of God fulfilled. A partial fulfillment came when Abraham
and Sarah were blessed with Isaac. But they both died without having seeing the
rest of the promise of God multiplying their descendants as numerous as the
stars of heaven.
With that confidence, knowing that
one day his promises will be fulfilled, we come to Him and find refuge. Without
a doubt, we can build our lives upon Jesus. We can lay all our desires,
aspirations, and expectations on the rock of our salvation. He is the anchor of
our soul.
IV.
HOPE IS THE ANCHOR OF OUR SOUL
We talked a lot about hope, how do
we define it? Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a sure thing to
happen. It is an aspiration, desire, dream for better and beautiful things. Hope can be present but mostly has to do with the
future. We all need hope to live our lives.
What keeps our lifeboat to withstand
the wildest storms of life? The author shows us a principle in verse 19, “This Hope
is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the
curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” The author uses here the analogy of an
anchor.
An anchor is used to connect a ship to
the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or
current. Similarly, our hope the Christian’s anchor goes up into the real,
heavenly sanctuary where he is connected to God himself so that we won’t be
drifted away by every storm of life. In other words, when we are anchored in
Christ, we are unshakable.
Hope in itself or on anything or in
any person can provide that anchoring for our souls; it is our hope in Christ
alone. Therefore, when you feel discouraged, disillusioned, depressed, and
afraid, let the firm anchor of hope go down into Christ, the solid rock. Upon
Him, we can stand and stay sheltered and protected. In closing, what makes our
hope strong and enduring?
Frequently trials and troubles
strengthen our hope. So, should we pray for God to send us more troubles on our
way so that our hope is strengthened? Romans 5:3-5, “We can rejoice, too, when
we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop
endurance.
And endurance develops strength of
character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to
disappointment.” My prayer for all of us at Hope Church and friends of Hope
Church is that “the source of hope will fill you completely with joy and peace
because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through
the power of the Holy Spirit.” Rom 15:13. As we leave, let us remain Hopeful, Amen!
