Our Anchor of Hope 盼望之锚
Dexu Xia
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.Hebrews 6:19
I held up a picture of people sleeping under pieces of cardboard in a dim alley. “What do they need?” I asked my sixth grade Sunday school class. “Food,” someone said. “Money,” said another. “A safe place,” a boy said thoughtfully. Then one girl spoke up: “Hope.”
“Hope is expecting good things to happen,” she explained. I found it interesting that she talked about “expecting” good things when, due to challenges, it can be easy not to expect good things in life. The Bible nevertheless speaks of hope in a way that agrees with my student. If “faith is confidence in what we hope for” (Hebrews 11:1), we who have faith in Jesus can expect good things to happen.
What is this ultimate good that believers in Christ can hope for with confidence?—“the promise of entering his rest” (4:1). For believers, God’s rest includes His peace, confidence of salvation, reliance on His strength, and assurance of a future heavenly home. The guarantee of God and the salvation Jesus offers is why hope can be our anchor, holding us fast in times of need (6:18–20). The world needs hope, indeed: God’s true and certain assurance that throughout good and bad times, He’ll have the final say and won’t fail us. When we trust in Him, we know that He’ll make all things right for us in His time.
By: Karen Huang
How does the Bible encourage and give you hope and confidence? What are some things you can thank God for?
Dear God, my hope in You is firm and secure, not because my faith is strong, but because You’re faithful to do as You’ve promised
我们有这指望，如同灵魂的锚，又坚固、又牢靠。—希伯来书6章19节
在六年级的主日学班级，我给学生看了一张照片，照片上是一群人睡在昏暗的小巷里，身上只盖着硬纸板。我问大家：“他们需要什么？”有人说需要食物；有人说需要钱。一个男孩想了想，说：“一个安全的地方。”然后，一个女孩大声地说：“盼望。”
她解释说：“盼望就是期待美好的事情发生。”在她谈到了“期待”美好的事情时，我觉得很有意思，因为现今种种的挑战，让人们很难期盼生活中会发生美好的事。然而，圣经谈到的盼望和这个女孩所说的一致。如果“信就是对所盼望之事有把握”（希伯来书11章1节，和合本修订版），那么我们基督徒的确可以期盼美好的事情发生。
基督徒可以有把握地盼望的美事是什么呢？就是“进入祂安息的应许”（4章1节）。对信徒来说，上帝赐的安息包括祂的平安、对得救的把握、对祂力量的倚靠，以及未来进入天家的保证。有了上帝的保证和耶稣提供的救恩，这盼望可以成为我们的锚，使我们在困境中能坚定立稳（6章18-20节）。的确，世人需要盼望：上帝确实保证，无论环境是好是坏，祂都有最终的决定权，必不会让我们失望。当我们信靠祂，我们知道祂将会按照祂所定的时间，使一切变得美好。
作者： 黃嘉仁
圣经如何鼓励你并给你盼望和把握？
你可以为哪些事感谢上帝？
亲爱的上帝，我对祢有坚固、牢靠的盼望，非因我的信心坚定，
而因祢是信实的，必实现祢的应许