Anchored To The Wall

 

The box of tools sitting in the back hallway was my first clue.  The hammer, nails, drill, screw drivers, bolts, washers, and other assorted fasteners confirmed what I knew to be true.  Daddy had been hanging something in the house.  It didn’t matter whether the object weighed 1 pound or 100 pounds; daddy always treated it the same way.  He wanted to make sure that whatever the object; it had zero chance of falling or coming off the wall. 

 

The object in question was a mantel piece mother wanted mounted in the kitchen of our home.  As soon as she mentioned the word “hang”, daddy was already elbow-deep in the tool chest, getting out all the fun toys he would use to attach the mantle to the wall.  From what I understand, it was quite a production.  Not only did he use special bolts to anchor the mantle to the wall, he also drove nails in it, making sure each one was driven solidly into a wooden stud that supported the wall.  He wanted to make sure the mantle never came loose. 

 

He did a wonderful job too.  Mother was convinced that if the house collapsed, the mantel piece would be suspended in thin air!  In fact, when my parents moved, they couldn’t take the mantel piece down because removing it would prove too difficult and would ruin the kitchen wall.  When daddy anchored something, he really anchored it!  Nothing in the toolbox or in any other toolbox for that matter, could remove it from the kitchen wall.  It was a permanent fixture and as much a part of the house’s structure as its foundation or walls.  Now, I’m not giving my dad hard time.  That mantle taught me several lessons, one of which is the subject of today’s Tidbit.   

 

The writer of the book of Hebrews understood the importance of being anchored in Christ.  In fact, he used the analogy of a ship’s anchor to make a very important point about the Christian’s walk and his faith in God.  Hebrews 6:19 reads, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…” What is the hope the author speaks of and what can we glean from this picture of a ship’s anchor?  Let’s take these two questions in order, shall we? 

 

First, the author is speaking about the certainty of God’s promise to the believer.  When God promised Abraham he would have a son and that the entire world would be blessed through his descendants, He took an oath.  God took the oath in His own name because there was none greater to swear by.  Therefore, God, Himself, guaranteed this promise to Abraham.  And since we, as believers in Christ, also partake in this promise, we have a wonderful hope from God. 

 

Second, the notion of a ship’s anchor paints a vivid picture of this reality.  A ship’s anchor holds it in position, preventing it from drifting away on the tide.  Although storms come, although winds blow against the ship, and although waves beat against its hull, the anchor holds it firmly in position, keeping it safe and secure.   

 

But there are other ways of anchoring things as my dad demonstrated in the example above.  It is possible to anchor one object to another by the use of strong fasteners.  These fasteners marry one object to another so that the two are inseparable.  This, I believe, is also a picture of the message contained in this passage of scripture.  When we believe in Christ and become one of his followers, we are anchored to God in him.  That means we are so closely identified with and attached to God, that nothing can separate us from His love.  No matter how rocky the road, no matter how steep the incline, and no matter how rough the seas, nothing will ever be able to separate us from God and the salvation we find in His son, Jesus Christ. 

 

That day in our kitchen I learned a great lesson which I am only now beginning to appreciate.  Daddy exerted all that effort and went to such great lengths to make sure that mantel piece never pulled away from the wall, no matter what!  In a similar way, on Calvary’s hill, God did exactly the same thing.  With the same tools, the hammer and the nail, God anchored, once and for all, our salvation!  By placing His son on a tree to pay the penalty for my sins and yours, God anchored every believer to Himself.  We are securely and firmly placed in Him when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal savior.  Are you anchored to the wall today?