“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul…”
Hebrews 6:19a
Tornadoes are not an unusual sight in the midwestern skies, but on this day the angry cloud-filled sky darkened suddenly, weighing heavy on the farmhouses dotting the wheat fields of Kansas.
My Grandpa and his oldest sons were working in town, leaving Granny to care for the baby as she and her four other children (ages two, seven, eight, and nine) did chores around the farm.
A sudden moment of stillness prompted Granny to examine the skies, but before she could react to what she saw, wild winds pushing along a violent roar broke the silence. Tornado! Headed straight for the farm.
Racing across the gravel-covered farmyard, Granny waved and yelled for the kids, desperate to be heard over the approaching roar, “Storm Cellar!! RUN!!” From various locations around the homestead, Floyd, Virginia, Colleen, and toddler Suggie were already headed in that direction – Virginia picked up her little sister as she ran to the underground storm shelter.
Pulling open the rough cellar door, the kids raced down the stone steps into the dark, damp shelter with Granny close on their heels. She made it to the doorway, baby in her arms, then turned to pull the door closed. That’s when the swirling vortex began its sucking pull on Granny.
Floyd, the oldest, scrambled to the top of the stairs, struggling to grab his mother’s legs as she was being pulled into the vacuum of the passing tornado. Granny desperately clutched her baby with both arms as she was being lifted into the air. That’s when Virginia and Colleen piled on grabbing hold of their mother and brother. Not to be left out, Suggie grabbed and hung on to one of her siblings’ legs.
It was a tug of war with the tornado, with little Suggie acting as anchor, and Granny and baby Gene suspended mid-air. The winner would keep Granny and baby Gene.
In seconds that seemed like hours, the tornado moved on to cause havoc elsewhere. Miraculously, Granny was still holding baby Gene; and the four children were all still holding on to their momma and each other.
Great damage was done as the tornado passed over the farm. To her dying day, my mom swore that the suction of the tornado literally pulled the feathers off of the chickens and drove the feathers like nails into the surrounding trees, leaving plucked, clucking chickens running frantically to-and-fro across the farmyard.
My mom also swore that all were spared only because of God’s grace and His mighty hand anchoring those four children as they clung to their mom and baby brother in the face of a raging tornado.
Whether it’s a children’s game of tug-of-war, a boat on rough waters, or a towering tree assaulted by raging winds, the only way that an anchor is effective is if it can dig in, deeply root itself, and remain tightly attached regardless of the opposing team’s strength or the battering force of the waves or the ferocity of the winds.
An anchor is dependent on that to which it is attached –
that thing must be immovable – unchanging – securely fixed. A good boat anchor has to be able to penetrate and dig into the mud or sandy bottom of the waters in order to hold the boat in position against the tides and winds. To “set anchor” the anchor’s flukes (barbs) must embed themselves so securely that the anchor is immovable and cannot be dragged by winds or currents.
The author of Hebrews writes, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6: 19, 20
The phrase “anchor of the soul” is a metaphor for the believer’s hope available only through the person of Jesus Christ and His saving work; He alone is the hope of the Gospel that anchors the believer in relationship with God the Father.
Just as an anchor relies on the dependability, stability, and immovability of that to which it attaches itself, the believer’s hope – your hope – is only as secure, stable, and trustworthy as the One in whom you have placed your faith.
Friend, you can be confident and rest securely in the knowledge that IF your hope is in Jesus Christ (meaning, you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior), THEN your hope is most firmly anchored in the One God Who…
- Is immutable (unchanging) in His person, His purpose, His perfection, and His promises – Psalm 102:25-27, Isaiah 46:9-10, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17
- Speaks only truth; God never lies; He is the Author of all Truth – Psalm 119:160, Isaiah 45:19, John 1:14, 17, 14:6, 17, 17:17; Ephesians 1:13, 4:21 Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6: 18
- Never changes His mind – Number 23:19, Psalm 110:4, Hebrew 7:21
- And is faithful in all things – Isaiah 25:1, 1 Corinthians 1:9, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 2 Timothy 2:13, 1 Peter 4:19, 1 John 1:9
In the battle against the tornado, in and of themselves, my mom and her siblings were a poor anchor by any standard, but in the firm grip of the merciful and gracious hands of God Almighty their anchor held, and all were saved.
Virginia, my mom, loved God dearly and had a beautiful voice; she sang whenever and wherever she had the opportunity. The lines of one of her often-sung songs reminds me of her tornado story. . .
“In times like these, I have a Savior,
In times like these I have an anchor,
I’m very sure, I’m very sure,
My anchor holds and grips the solid Rock.
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the One.
This Rock is Jesus, the only One.
Be very sure, be very sure,
Your anchor holds and grips the solid Rock.”
By Ruth Caye Jones (“Mother Jones” written 1943)
When storm clouds gather,
When strong winds attempt to blow you over,
When rough waters threaten your peace,
When waves of despair crash over your life,
And strong undercurrents attempt to drag you under. . .
Set your anchor in the unfailing, never changing,
forever steadfast, promises of Jehovah God.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for He who promised is faithful.“
Hebrews 10:23 ESV