Hope: The Anchor of the Soul
By Marcel Rebiai
“…we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:18b-20
The subject of our hope plays a significant role in our everyday lives, be it at work, in our relationships or within ourselves. If our soul becomes unstable because of a difficult situation, it soon becomes evident that it is poorly anchored.
Hope is a sacred anchor, secured behind the curtain of the tabernacle. This was a place of God’s presence, to which the priest only had access once a year. In this space was the mercy seat; it was here that God revealed himself to His people.
Without delving deeper into the details of the tabernacle, I would first like to highlight a thought: The mercy seat was where forgiveness took place. It stands for a new beginning every day – with ourselves and our neighbours. God’s mercy means there is no guilt that is too big it cannot be forgiven; no wound too deep it cannot be healed; no life too broken that it cannot be pieced back together. When the storms of life break over us through sickness, hardships, danger, and finally death, we can say in confidence with our hearts anchored in God’s mercy,
“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1
This devotional is taken from the book To See God by Marcel Rebiai. If you would like to order your own copy, please email us here, [email protected].
Marcel Rebiai is a board member of Revive Israel, and is inspiration for our community. Marcel was born in Algiers in 1953. He came to Switzerland as a war orphan and received faith in Jesus in his youth, which changed his life and made him a messenger of God’s love in Jesus. Since then, he has been faithfully working for the building of the community of Messiah. Marcel is the founder of the “Community of Reconciliation”, an organization that works for reconciliation between Jews and Arabs based on God’s forgiveness and love in Christ. Marcel teaches in various settings around the world about the love that God revealed to us in Jesus, a love that enables reconciliation. Marcel has been living in Jerusalem for the last 30 years, is married to Regula, and has four children and eleven grandchildren.
