We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. (ESV)

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain (NIV)

I grew up in Minnesota—the land of 10,000 lakes. The land where you learn to drive a boat before a car. My high school mascot was a skipper, and a giant anchor greeted us as we walked into the building. We were nautical people. What I’m saying is this: I know boats—and I know anchors.

For those who don’t have sea legs, here’s what you need to know: a boat without an anchor is at the mercy of whatever comes: wind, waves, you name it. An unanchored boat drifts. Sometimes slowly. Sometimes fast. Sometimes into open waters. Sometimes into rocks.

You know the feeling. A long-term friendship ends abruptly. One doctor visit changes everything. Watching the news feels like watching the world unravel. A season of motion with an unknown direction. Live long enough, and you realize, life has a current. And the current is out of our control, probably in a direction you don’t want to go.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that, like a boat, we can be anchored. Secured.

Since, a little Old Testament knowledge is needed to really understand what the writer is saying. Here’s the “Sparknotes”: the Jewish people had a temple. The temple had many concentric rooms. The very center was God’s place, the Most Holy Place, and it was behind a curtain. One person, the Great High Priest, could go in, once a year, bringing a sacrifice to pay for the sins of the people.

When Jesus entered, it all changed. He, our new and better Great High Priest, entered behind the curtain once and for all. Not with the blood of an animal, but with his own, to pay completely for the sins of everyone who trusts in him. 

He entered behind the curtain so that our hope would be secure, not in our feelings or in a season, but in Him. 

When we wanted to swim in a cove, my dad used to let me drop the anchor. Although the waves kept coming, our boat stayed in place; we anchored it. It wasn’t going anywhere. You see, the anchor didn’t stop the waves. The wind still blew. The water still moved. But we were secured by the anchor.

Christ is our sure and steadfast anchor. The anchor of our soul. He holds us steady in this life and secure in the life to come.

Written by Rainer Erani