Grasping Hope

By David Bragg

   Charles Spurgeon, a well-known denominational preacher of 19th century, related in one of his sermons the story of a sailor who fell overboard amid a great storm and the thrilling rescue that followed. As soon as the cry, “Man overboard!” was sounded the crew flew into action determined to save their shipmate from drowning. The poor sailor was quickly found, and a rope was tossed to him. That rope was that sailor’s lifeline, and he knew it. When the men finally got the man onto the ship after his harrowing experience, he was unable to loosen his grip on that rope. It was hours before he could relax his grip as the strands of rope became embedded in the flesh of his hands.

    Jesus is our lifeline, rescuing us from churning ocean of sin. Wave after wave threatens to pull us down into the dark depths with no hope of escape. Then He who could calm the seas comes to our rescue. In Him we find refuge (Hebrews 6:18) and salvation.

    In Christ we find hope. The writer of Hebrew described our hope with these words: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19). Our hope in Christ sustains us when life is going well. But its true beauty becomes evident during times of difficulty and trial. Don’t let go of that hope! It is “both sure and steadfast.” Sailors drop an anchor, one end firmly attached to its deck while the other is planted deep in the ocean floor, confident that their ship will remain secure. They have “faith” in that anchor. It will hold fast (i.e., “sure”) regardless of what may be going on around it (“steadfast;” cf. Acts 27:29, 40). Spiritually, the Christian holding the promises of God in Christ has in their grasp a great spiritual “anchor,” both “sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19).

    In times of trouble and testing, don’t let go of your hope. You have Jesus’ word that He will not forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

- David Bragg serves as one of the ministers at the Northwest Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC and is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.nwchurchofchrist.com/ or his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/