March 28, 2024

(He’s The) Anchor Of Hope

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Marvelous, wonderful, infinite God
Author of all that is good
Faithful Provider and Giver of life
Source of all power and love

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise
Refuge of strength to the end

Righteous Redeemer and mighty to save
He’s the Anchor of Hope for the souls of men

Gracious, compassionate, merciful God
Radiant, holy delight
Beautiful Father, Victorious Son
Source of unchangeable Light

You are Light in the dark
You are healing for the broken heart
You are Hope
You are Lord
You are Life
You are Love that endures

Powerful, constant, unwavering God
Shepherd who comes for the lost
Rock of salvation, remarkable Love
Savior who died on the Cross

Ellie Holcomb
written along with Brown Bannister

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

This…all of this!…is our reason for Hope!  Biblically, hope is an assurance, something we depend on and count on happening. To the world, hope is ‘a wing and a prayer.’

HOPE – verb

  1. To entertain or indulge hope; to cherish a desire of good, or of something welcome, with expectation of obtaining it or belief that it is obtainable; to expect; – usually followed by for.  “But I will hope continually.” – Psalm 71:14
  2. To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good; – usually followed by in. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God.” – Psalm 42:11
  3. To desire with expectation, or with belief in the possibility, or prospect of obtaining; to look forward to as a thing that is desirable, with the expectation of obtaining it; to cherish the hopes of.  [Charity] hopeth all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:7

(quoted from Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary)

I would like to encourage you, friends, to grasp this Hope as the Truth!  We are often so good at encouraging others…reminding our brothers and sisters of the Hope they have…speaking to the unsaved and telling them of the Hope they can have.  But speak this Truth to yourself.  Hold to it.  Depend on it.

Your Lord IS your Hope!  He is…

  • the Light in the dark
  • Refuge of strength to the end
  • Healer of your broken heart
  • Rock of salvation
  • Savior Who died on the Cross
  • Anchor of Hope

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise
the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,
so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement
to take hold of the hope set before us.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us,
having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:17-20

At the foundation of it all: ‘this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…’.   A hope that we have had no part in securing, no part in determining, no part in bringing to pass.  But we do have a part—we simply must hold onto this hope—an Anchor of Hope in Christ Jesus our Lord.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I pray this blessing from 2 Thessalonians 2:16 and 17 for each of you.

“…our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through [His] grace, <would> comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them [make them steadfast and keep them unswerving] in every good work and word” in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Anchor of Hope

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

Marvelous, Wonderful, Infinite God; Author of all that is good
Faithful Provider and Giver of life, Source of all power and love

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; Refuge of strength to the end
Righteous Redeemer and mighty to save, He’s the Anchor of Hope for the souls of men

Gracious, Compassionate, Merciful God! Radiant, holy Delight
Beautiful Father, Victorious Son—Source of unchangeable Light

You are Light in the dark, You are healing for the broken heart
You are Hope, you are Lord, You are Life, you are Love that endures

Powerful, Constant, Unwavering God; Shepherd who comes for the lost
Rock of salvation, Remarkable Love, Savior Who died on the Cross

~  Songwriters: Brown Bannister, Ellie Holcomb / Performed by Ellie Holcomb  ~

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

This…all of this!…is our reason for Hope!  Biblically, hope is an assurance, something we depend and count on happening. To the world, hope is a ‘wing and a prayer.’

HOPE – verb

  1. To entertain or indulge hope; to cherish a desire of good, or of something welcome, with expectation of obtaining it or belief that it is obtainable; to expect; – usually followed by for.  “But I will hope continually.” – Psalm 71:14
  2. To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good; – usually followed by in. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God.” – Psalm 42:11
  3. To desire with expectation, or with belief in the possibility, or prospect of obtaining; to look forward to as a thing that is desirable, with the expectation of obtaining it; to cherish the hopes of.  [Charity] hopeth all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:7

I would like to encourage you, friends, to grasp this Hope as your Truth!  We are often so good at encouraging others…reminding our brothers and sisters of the Hope they have…speaking to the unsaved and telling them of the Hope they can have.  But speak this Truth to yourself.  Hold to it.  Depend on it.

Your Lord IS Your Hope—He is

  • the Light in the dark
  • Refuge of strength to the end
  • Healer of your broken heart
  • Rock of salvation
  • Savior Who died on the Cross
  • Anchor of Hope

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise
the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,
so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us,
having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:17-20

At the foundation of it all “this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…” A hope that we have had no part in securing, no part in determining, no part in bringing to pass. A hope simply to hold onto—an Anchor of Hope in Christ Jesus our Lord.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

I pray, for each of you that “…our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through [His] grace, <would> comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them [make them steadfast and keep them unswerving] in every good work and word” in Jesus’ Name. Amen. (2 Thessalonians 2:16 and 17)

Glorious Living w/ Coach Megan: Overcoming Bitterness with Hope

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Coach Megan,

I won’t go into all the details, but I know that I have been burying a lot of anger for a long time now and now it is at the point that it is hard for me to be hopeful for change. It is hurting me so much and many of my relationships as well. I pray you can give me some direction. Bless you, K.

My Dear K,

Thank you for reaching out and I do pray that these Biblical answers will be helpful to you in this desperate situation.  What I heard lying beneath your cry for help is that you are struggling with bitterness, which is powerfully pushing you down into a ditch of despair.  Signs of bitterness can be subtle at first, but very soon it swirls into a chaos of complaints, unforgiveness, depression, sustained grief, hopelessness, and even rage against God.  Most people find it difficult to admit that they are bitter….  They say things like “I’m not bitter, but I just can’t forgive him!” or, “I’m not angry, but it’s just not fair.”  Bitterness is buried anger that has become stuck in resentment and unresolved anger is like a big, heavy chain that ties us to the past.

Hebrews 12:15
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that
no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

When you are struggling to overcome bitterness, you must:

  • Believe that it is possible, with God’s help, to get rid of all of your resentment.
  • Know that you are not a helpless victim of other people, circumstances, or events.
  • Take personal responsibility for your attitude of bitterness.
  • Confess before God that you are harboring anger.  Express your true desire to overcome the bondage of bitterness.
  • Search your heart for the past events or people that embitter your heart, then release your right for revenge.
  • Understand that only a close relationship with Jesus can give you the love and confidence to let go.  Leave your vengeance to the judgment of God.
  • Cultivate a heart of forgiveness toward others that allows you to experience God’s total forgiveness of you.

Putting your hope in Christ will keep you from being wrecked by the crushing events of life. Although your anchor is unseen, you will feel it’s pull and know it is holding you.  No matter what storm you might be presently enduring or might soon be encountering, if your anchor is Jesus, your anchor will hold!  Extraordinary benefits await you when you hold on to the hope He offers… benefits based on the promises of God, benefits both in this present life and in the life to come. You cannot earn or deserve the benefits of hope…they are a gift of grace to you based on the Lord’s great love for you.  His Word shows us what these benefits are as HIS blessed hope…

Generates faith and love in you

Colossians 1:4-5

because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—
the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven
and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel,

Causes you to live a pure life

1 John 3:3

 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Inspires you to persevere with endurance

1 Thessalonians 1:3

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith,
your labor prompted by love,
and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Uplifts your downcast soul

Psalm 42:5

Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Causes you to praise God

Psalm 71:14

As for me, I will always have hope;I will praise you more and more.

Anchors your soul

Hebrews 6:19

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

Gives you reason to rejoice

Romans 5:2

through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Establishes your security and safety

Job 11:18

You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

Guarantees your eternal life

Titus 3:5-7

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us
generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace,
we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

 

Blessings,

Coach Megan 🙂