When you visualize an anchor, what do you see? Probably, a hefty object that is attached to a chain or rope. When the anchor is dropped into the water, it keeps a vessel, large or small, from drifting due to wind or current. The anchor provides a firm foundation and security for the ship and its occupants.
To understand the real worth or value of an anchor, one needs to be on a ship in a storm! I have never had this experience, but I have certainly read about them and watched various documentaries.
Several in my family enjoy fishing. 
They have shared stories about being on the ocean and encountering choppy waves and then navigating through the waters to reach the shore’s safety or the dock.
Growing up, the only way to cross the Columbia River was on a ferry boat. During the Christmas season, going to Astoria, OR on the other side of the river was always a special treat. Usually, we crossed during a storm. I always considered it an exciting journey!
Contrary to belief, it is not the anchor’s weight, which keeps the ship steady. The shank of the anchor is attached to the chain. It is the weight of the chain, which keeps the ship stable. The anchor does the job of keeping the chain in place. Once the anchor is sinking, the anchor merely ensures that one end of the chain is stationary. The real efficiency of the anchor lies in the chain.
In a book I just finished reading, Through the Eyes of a Lion, the author Levi Lusko connected Hebrews 6:19, Jesus the anchor of our soul with verse 20: Jesus is our forerunner. And right now, Jesus is in the presence of God. I learned that forerunner is the Greek word prodromos. And this is where it becomes fascinating. During the Roman Empire, prodromos was used to describe the smaller boats sent into the harbor to the larger ships that could not enter the harbor due to stormy conditions.
These smaller boats (today we call them pilot boats) carried the anchor through the breakers inside the harbor and dropped it there, securing the more massive ship.
The vessel is then pulled in slowly and safely to the shore to be unloaded.
The word anchor is used four times in the New Testament; three have to do with an actual anchor during a storm in Acts 27 and then in Hebrews 6:19, used metaphorically. A Dictionary of Bible Types states that anchor “represents the firm hold of faith in the Rock of Ages. This Rock is inside the veil with God. Our faith reaches through the waters of trouble, difficulty, darkness, and despair to firmly grasp the Son of God and His Word. By this faith, we are kept from being swept away in the storms of life.”
Consider this: Jesus is the anchor of my soul or my feelings, desires, the inner me (Hebrews 6:19). To stay focused during a storm, my Anchor must be Jesus Christ. Speak His promises; it is in saying them that I anchor myself to Him.
I can change the way I feel by the words that I speak.
“You will keep me in perfect peace; my mind is steadfast and focused on You, because I trust in You.” Isaiah 26:3
“Be strong and let my heart take courage, I wait for, and confidently expect the Lord.” Psalm 31:24
“My soul waits silently and quietly submits to God alone; for my expectation, my hope is from Him.” Psalm 62:5
“I will not fear bad news; my heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord, confidently relying on and believing in the Lord.” Psalm 112:7
“Cast all my cares on Him; all my anxieties, all my worries, and all my concerns, once and for all on Him, for He cares about me with the deepest affection, and watches over me very carefully.” 1 Peter 5:7
Remember, it is not the anchor that keeps the ship stable; it is the chain’s weight that keeps the vessel stable.
During the storms of life, what keeps my soul, my emotions balanced and calm?
Pastor Lusko completed this beautiful picture. Jesus is my Anchor, and at this very moment, He is in the presence of God.
What is the chain that connects me to Jesus, my Anchor?
It is the Holy Spirit. 
Close your eyes for a moment and visualize whatever trial you might be experiencing this moment. Maybe it is fear, perhaps discouragement, perhaps a health problem, a complicated relationship, or how I will pay the bills this month.
Whatever it might be, could you place it in the hands of Jesus?
But how?
By attaching a rope around it, which is secured to Jesus. Now, picture that problem being transported by Jesus through the Holy Spirit into the very presence of God, which He has tied securely to the “throne of grace.”
Now back to earth. Wrap the other end of the rope around you; tie yourself to it, knowing that the rope is secure and dependable. It cannot be broken because we are “in Christ” through the Holy Spirit. Keep the rope taut – no slag – and picture Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, navigating you through your difficulty, suffering, your trial.
Remember, the pilot boat’s purpose was to bring the vessel’s anchor to the dock, and then as they pulled the rope or chain attached to the ship, they could safely navigate the boat through the rough waters of the harbor.
As we keep a tight hold on the Holy Spirit, walk with Him, and are led by Him, He will navigate us through the storms of life. We must look outside ourselves to steady our emotions. Just as the anchor is external to a ship, anchoring ourselves to Jesus Christ will keep us calm in the storm. The sailors could not see the anchor once dropped into the water, but they knew that the anchor would keep them safe because it was attached to the chain which was fit for the task.
A dear sister in the Lord shared with me a beautiful worship song, Eye of the Storm, written by Ryan Stevenson & Bryan Fowler. I will share the YouTube link below. What does it mean to be in the eye of a storm? What I found interesting is that there are two definitions for the eye of the storm.
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- the calm region at the center of a storm or hurricane
- the most intense part of a tumultuous situation
When referring to the calm region at the center of a hurricane, there followed the warning of not being fooled by suddenly experiencing the calm. It merely means you are halfway through the storm; the wind and the rain will begin again, often without warning. Leaving your safe room during this seeming calm is putting yourself in danger.
Again, considering the spiritual application. We do not know when the storm, the trial, hardship, and suffering will end. But what we do know is that God has promised to take us through the ordeal. The pressures, the anxieties, the winds of adversity can be blowing all around us, but if we stay connected to Jesus through the Holy Spirit, we will arrive through the storm changed and refined! And is that not our prayer: to be changed from glory to glory, into His glorious image! (2 Corinthians 3:18)
My paraphrase of Hebrews 6: 19-20: I choose to anchor my thoughts, my emotions, my anxieties, my fears to Jesus. In Him, I have the confident assurance and hope that I will not slip, I will not drown, I will not be overtaken by my emotions, fears, anxieties, frustrations. Stay attached to Jesus, my High Priest, through the Holy Spirit. Walk in obedience to His guidance and direction. He will lead me safely through the storm. Always remember that I am securely tied to the “throne of grace” by Jesus Christ, who is in the very Presence of God.
Worship song by Ryan Stevenson “The Eye of the Storm.”