4-1-2024

Good Morning All,

                Hebrews 6:19; “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,”

      A few days ago, I was watching one of the old swashbuckling movies about a pirate who really wasn’t a pirate.  He was really a member of the English navy who had attacked some Spanish ships, but it turned out that England and Spain were no longer at war, so he was branded a pirate.  He was trying to get to England to clear his name.  During a key moment in the movie, our hero ties himself to the deck of the ship so he could steer the ship during a huge storm.  He had them tie him to supports for the steering system and then fastened a rope to the floor and then a chain was attached to his leg, and it was fastened to the ship.  In the end he made it through the storm and guided the ship through the dangerous shoals.

    I don’t know if you have ever faced a time in your life when the wind and the rain and the huge waves of life are buffeting you about but if you have; you know the feeling of hopelessness.  There are few feelings in this world that leave us as empty and as lost as feeling that we have no hope.  There is no greater sense of loss.  There is no greater sense of being completely isolated and alone than when we feel a situation is hopeless.  It can be a job that disappears, it can be a relationship that is crumbling, it can be health issues that are overwhelming us, it can be a summer of no rain; there are many ways to experience hopelessness but there is only one way to have hope.

   The writer of the Book of Hebrews uses this logic for our hope.  God made a promise to Abraham and God took an oath upon himself to keep that promise.  Now we know that God is unchangeable so any promise that he makes; he keeps.  He made a promise to Noah, He made a promise to Abraham, and he made a promise to you.  The promise to you was that of eternal salvation with him.  It is also a promise of love right now.  We don’t have to wait until we die for God’s promise to give us comfort, to give us hope.

    We can, and should, tie our self to God’s promise.  We can anchor our self in God’s perfect grace, his promised mercy to us, and his amazing love to give us hope.  No matter what we face, no matter what we fear, God’s perfect promise is there for us.  We are never alone, and our life is never hopeless.  God has promised to care for you as a Father cares for his children.  His love for you knows no bounds.  His love for you has no limits.  We can always turn to this promise; we can cling to this promise; we can rely on this promise to give us his grace and mercy.  God’s promise will never fail you; it never has, and it never will.

Father of all hope; help us to keep our anchor in you.  Help us to keep our hope secure.  Though the world and the devil attack us, keep us attached to you.  Be with those who are fighting the battles of life, especially those who feel that they are losing the battle, give them the hope of your sacred promise and give them comfort and peace.  Give them your loving and precious peace.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret