Soul Anchor
“Man is one of your creatures, Lord, and his instinct is to praise you… The thought of you stirs him so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”
- St. Augustine
“But what does all this restlessness and helplessness indicate, except that man was once in true happiness which has now left him? So he vainly searches, but finds nothing to help him, other than to see an infinite abyss that can only be filled by One who is infinite and immutable. In other words, it can only be filled with God himself.”
- Blaise Pascal
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
- CS Lewis
Jesus said he is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). This is quite a claim. While this claim encompasses many aspects of who Jesus is, its essential quality is its totality. The first verse of the gospel of John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “Word” is the English translation of the Greek word, logos. John probably had two audiences in mind when using it. His Jewish readers would understand logos to refer to the One who is the creator and sustainer of all things and who has revealed himself. “In the beginning” is an obvious allusion to the first verse of the creation account in the first book in the Bible, Genesis. John’s other readers were Greeks. The term logos would conjure up images of philosophic discussions regarding ultimate meaning. The logos referred to that ultimate essence that held the universe together.
In a day when truth is said to have many versions, Scripture declares there is only one. Rather than offering a mathematical equation or a philosophic proposition or even an eloquent use of poetry, Scripture’s ultimate portrayal of truth is a person. Jesus, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), would spend his entire life demonstrating what it means to be truly alive, truly human. He lived a life of love and compassion, yet full of strength and a zeal for justice.
Jesus would ultimately demonstrate his love for mankind by suffering a brutal death reserved for criminals. Hanging naked on a cross beam, he endured the scorn of unjust men, yet crying out to his Father, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Beyond the physical torture of death on a cross Jesus Christ bore the ultimate penalty, the wrath of his Father, reserved as just punishment for sin. Yet Jesus was innocent
Sometimes it is difficult to grasp this event. Such sacrifice not only boggles our minds, but for some seems impossible. The writer of the book of Hebrews offers some help in understanding the crucifixion of Jesus. He writes, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
We know that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It appears that for Jesus, there was in fact joy to be had in the event of his death. By dying the death he did he became the perfect sacrifice for sin. His perfect life fulfilled the perfect demands of his Father. His resurrection from the dead conquered the power of sin and secured peace for all who would trust in him.
The writer of Hebrews said that “we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged” (Heb. 6:18). By fleeing our own efforts to secure meaning and salvation, and taking hold of Christ, admitting our brokenness and sin, trusting that his perfect life, His death and resurrection accomplished for us what we cannot do for ourselves, we are cleansed, forgiven and given the hope of eternal life. This hope gives us “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb. 6:19).
Several hundred years ago, a French philosopher and mathematician named Blaise Pascal considered human existence and commented on the anxiety that he observed in his contemporaries. He wrote, “But what does all this restlessness and helplessness indicate, except that man was once in true happiness which has now left him? So he vainly searches, but finds nothing to help him, other than to see an infinite abyss that can only be filled by One who is infinite and immutable. In other words, it can only be filled with God himself.” Pascal’s observation demonstrates humanity’s search for meaning and it’s only satisfaction.
CS Lewis said something similar yet from a different perspective. “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” Our souls were not meant to settle for the fleeting pleasures the world offers. The longing of the soul cannot be fulfilled apart from relationship with the creator and sustainer of life.
Finally, St. Augustine, writing over 1500 years ago, captures in a simple yet profound way what it means to find anchor for the soul. “Man is one of your creatures, Lord, and his instinct is to praise you… The thought of you stirs him so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”
Jesus Christ is the anchor for your soul. Our prayer is that you find your hope in him.
Blaise Pascal,
Pensees
CS Lewis,
Weight of GloryAugustine,
Confessions