Today is October 22.


The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”  
    
Today’s reading is from the book of Hebrews, chapter 6.   
  

13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.   
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.  
  

In this passage… which is about covenant, keeping promises, and the trustworthiness of God, we heard: ‘we have his hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure’. As you come to prayer this morning, how would you describe the state of your soul? We’ll take a bit more quiet time than usual now… so settle in, maybe close your eyes, and take a deep breath. Ask the Lord to help you be still, and aware of your spiritual condition this morning  
  
The writer of today’s passage is concerned that the persecuted Christians he is writing to are in danger of running out of patience in their race of faith amidst persecution. These Christians might be doing okay for now, but there is a danger they might lose confidence in God’s promises. The writer is reminding them that God is absolutely trustworthy. That we can anchor our hope in Him. Listen again to the text and be attentive to a single word or phrase that stands out to you.  

All of us wrestle with spiritual doubt; everyone struggles at times to trust God. God is firm and secure, scripture tells us – so we can hold to him in the midst of our own times of spiritual tenderness, struggle, and doubt. If we ignore those things in our own souls, we are holding a part of ourselves away from God. Instead, we are to bring our full selves to Him, so that He might be our anchor. God tells us the unchanging nature of his purpose: to seek and to save that which is lost. To be our firm foundation in times of trouble. As we end our time of prayer today, bring your full self to God.

Music: This Is Love - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)