"WE HAVE AN ANCHOR"

"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast…" (Heb. 6.19)

INTRO.: A song which pictures our hope as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast
is "We Have an Anchor" or "Will Your Anchor Hold?" (#496 in Hymns for Worship
Revised and #495 in Sacred Selections for the Church). The text was written by Pricilla Jane
Owens (1829-1907). It is dated 1874. She also produced lyrics for "Give Me The Bible" and
"Jesus Saves." The tune (Anchor) was composed by William James Kirkpatrick (1838-1921).
He provided melodies for many other well-known songs such as "He Hideth My Soul" and
"’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus." The song "We Have an Anchor" was copyrighted in 1882
by Kirkpatrick and renewed in 1910 by the Hope Publishing Co.

Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church during the twentieth
century for use in churches of Christ, it appeared in the 1937 Great Songs of the Church No.
2 edited by E. L. Jorgenson; the 1948 Christian Hymns No. 2 edited by L. O. Sanderson; the
1963 Christian Hymnaledited by J. Nelson Slater; and the 1963 Abiding Hymns edited by
Robert C. Welch. Today it may be found in the 1971 Songs of the Church, the 1990 Songs of
the Church 21st C. Ed., and the 1994 Songs of Faith and Praiseall edited by Alton H.
Howard; the 1978/1983 (Church) Gospel Songs and Hymnsedited by V. E. Howard; and the
1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; in addition to Hymns for
Worship, Sacred Selections, and the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D.
Jeffcoat.

The song reminds us of the anchor to our souls that is provided by our hope in Christ.

I. Stanza 1 tells us that this anchor keeps from drifting

"Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?"
A. When buffetted by a storm, a ship need an anchor to provide security and safety: Acts 27.
29
B. Just as ships often encounter storms, so in this life the clouds unfold their wings of strife
in the various trials and tribulations that
we must face: Jas. 1.2-3
C. Therefore, if we do not have an anchor that is fastened in something steadfast, we may
drift: Heb. 2.1

II. Stanza 2 tells us that this anchor secures us to the Savior

"It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
For ’tis well-secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables passed from His heart to mine
Can defy the blast through strength divine."
A. If our hope is in Christ, we shall be safely moored because our anchor will be well-
secured by the hand of Him who is our Savior: Lk. 2.11
B. It is as if cables were passed from His heart to ours, but this can be true only when we
love Him with all our hearts: Mk. 12.30
C. Through these spiritual cables, we shall be enabled to defy the blast because we will be
divinely strengthened: Eph.3.16-17
III. Stanza 3 tells us that this anchor will guide us in the straits of fear
"It will firmly hold in the straits of fear,
When the breakers have told the reef is near;
Though the tempests rave and the wild winds blow,
Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow."
A. As we sail the seas of life, situations will occur that would produce fear, but God has not
given us a spirit of fear: 2 Tim. 1.7
B. However, though the tempests rave and the wild winds blow, we have nothing to fear
because God has promised to be with us: Heb. 13.5-6
C. Because we can be assured that not an angry wave shall our bark overflow, we know that
perfect love casts out all such fear: 1 Jn. 4.18

IV. Stanza 4 tells us that this anchor will sustain us in the floods of death
"It will surely hold in the floods of death,
When the waters cold chill our latest breath;
On the rising tide it can never fail,
While our hopes abide within the veil."
A. One day, all of us must pass through the floods of death: Heb. 9.27
B. However, the anchor that is steadfast in Christ can never fail and such hope will result in
our salvation: Rom. 8.24-25
C. The reason that such an anchor cannot fail is because that it reaches and fastens to that
which is within the veil: Heb. 10.19-20

V. Stanza 5 tells us that this anchor will bring us to the golden harbor of heaven
"When our eyes behold through the gathering night
The city of gold, our harbor bright,
We shall anchor fast by the heavenly shore,
With the storms all past forevermore."
A. After the Christian passes through the floods of death, his eyes can behold that city of
gold: Rev. 21.1-2
B. While brethren may debate whether the soul of the one who dies actually goes directly to
heaven or not, all must agree that the
righteous dead are in a state of bliss that can only come from the knowledge that they are near
that shore where the pure river of the water of life flows: Rev. 22.1-2
C. Here, they rest from their labors with the storms all past because God has promised that
there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain that bring about those storms: Rev. 21.3-
4

CONCL.: The chorus continues to emphasize the importance of this anchor to our lives
now.
"We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love."
Our desire is to be with the Lord in His heavenly Jerusalem. However, to get there, we must
pass through the storms of this life. Yet, the expectation of achieving this desire which the
Lord enables us to have is what keeps us pressing onward, knowing that in this hope "We
Have An Anchor."