This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…
(Hebrews 6:19 NKJV).
Tom had never been on a fishing boat before, and at this particular moment, he was convinced it was the single worst decision he had ever made. Worse than that time he tried to cut his own hair, worse than trusting gas station sushi, worse than agreeing to help his cousin move in July.
Who would have believed that seasickness could be this awful?
He gripped the railing and stared out at the water, pale and miserable, trying to focus on anything that might help. It didn’t. Every wave made things worse.
A deckhand wandered over, clearly familiar with this situation. “First trip?” he asked with a knowing grin. Tom nodded weakly.
“Don’t worry, young fella,” the deckhand said. “Nobody ever died of seasickness.”
Tom looked at him and said, “You’ve just taken away my last hope for relief.”
It’s a terrible thing to live without hope. It’s one thing to feel miserable. It’s another thing entirely to believe that nothing better is coming. That’s what made Tom’s situation feel unbearable — not just the sickness, but the feeling that it would never end.
In a much deeper way, that’s how Scripture describes life apart from Christ. Paul reminds the believers in Ephesus of their past: “Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ… without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12 NIV). That phrase, “without hope”, is one of the bleakest descriptions imaginable.
A world without Christ is, at its core, a world without true hope. It may offer distractions, temporary comforts, or momentary relief, but it can’t offer any hope for the future. But everything changes in Christ.
The writer of Hebrews describes our hope in powerful terms: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19 NKJV). Hope in Christ is not just wishful thinking. It’s an anchor. Something that holds firm even when everything around us feels like it’s rocking.
Life still has its waves. There are going to be moments when we feel overwhelmed, disoriented, or exhausted. But we’re not left holding on to the railing with no assurance of relief. In Christ, we have a future. We have promises. We have a hope that will not fail.
So hold fast to the hope of your calling and, when life feels unsteady, let that hope anchor you.
Prayer: Father, thank You for giving us a sure and steadfast hope through Christ. When life feels uncertain and overwhelming, help us to hold tightly to the promises You have made. Anchor our hearts in Your faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day