THE ANCHOR--An anchor is a heavy object, usually a shaped iron weight in hook form, lowered into the water by rope, cable, or chain to keep a boat secure. Before iron was introduced, the most ancient anchors consisted of large stones or sacks filled with sand. From the very beginning of water travel the anchor played a very important part to the mariner. There are four main types of anchors: stock, stockless, mushroom, and grapnel. An anchor has six main parts: the fluke, the arm, the crown, the shank, the stock, and the ring. All these together make a very necessary part of the ship's tackling. In fact, a boat is not complete without an anchor.

In the Bible some important truths are seen as they relate to an anchor. The word is used in a physical way in Acts 27:29 to keep a ship from going on the rocks, "Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern... ".The word "anchor" is also used in Hebrews 6:19 to describe the Lord Jesus Christ,"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.. ". In this passage Jesus is called the "anchor of the soul". The meaning of this verse can be understood by studying the need and use of an anchor for a ship. Literally what an anchor is to a ship, Christ is to the world if He is received.

An anchor provides security, stability and safety. These are precisely the things offered by God through the Saviour. All of us need security, but most seek it in hopeless areas. We need peace of mind and soul in this troubled world, and it can only be found in Christ. The wind and the tide have no effect on an anchored vessel because the anchor gives it stability. Today people are tossed to and fro, drifting from one new thing to another, caught in the winds and tides of worldliness. We need Christ to provide stability. During times of storm an anchor could mean the difference between life or death for a vessel and its crew, providing safety from shoals, reefs, and rocks. Many storms come our way in this life right on down to the storm of death, and there is only One who can bring you through to a perfect calm. That One is the Lord Jesus.

Any crew with their vessel would be foolish to leave a docked area to enter open water without an anchor. So are those who live their lives without the One who can anchor them spiritually. For the mariner, at times he has to anchor down, the vessel, but those who come to know Christ are anchored up.

Once again, a boat is not complete without an anchor. Neither are you without the "anchor of the soul". Consider welcoming aboard into your life the One who can provide for you the way to anchor "up". Psalm 18:2, "The Lord is my rock, and

my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust... ".

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