Have you ever felt weighed down by conflict in a relationship? When we can’t resolve our difficulties and there’s not peace between us, it causes pain. Maybe you keep trying to reconcile, or maybe you just walk away and try to put it out of your mind. But without real peace, the pain lingers. 

 What about our relationship with God? If we believe what the Bible says, there’s a big problem in our relationship with God, and that problem is our sin (Romans 3:23). Because God is holy and righteous, the stain of our sin has broken our relationship with our Creator beyond what we can repair. 

That’s where the good news of the Gospel comes in. God sent His Son to do everything required to reconcile us to God. 

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

Because of Christ, we have peace with God. We are reconciled to our Heavenly Father and Righteous Judge, the Lord God Almighty. We are declared righteous by God because of the righteousness given to us by Christ. We receive this declaration of righteousness by faith – not by trying on our own to repair this broken relationship.  

As a result, we can have confidence in our relationship with God. We broke it, and we couldn’t fix it, but Jesus reconciled us perfectly and permanently. We don’t have to be weighed down by guilt and shame. We have peace with God. 

Because we have peace with God, we also pursue peace with others. We can’t control how others respond, but we can extend to others the same mercy Christ extended to us. And when reconciliation with others isn’t possible, we can find our hope in the one relationship that will always be characterized by perfect peace. 

No matter what you face this week, you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

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Have you ever seen the anchor of a giant ship? Back when cruises were something people did, I remember seeing a cruise ship’s massive anchor and marveling at how heavy it must be. It turns out that a cruise ship anchor can weight about 28,000 pounds! 

Whether you’re enjoying calm waters or in the middle of a storm, you need a strong anchor for your soul that can hold tight. Are you, like me, sometimes tempted to trust in lightweight anchors like the approval of others, a fun event on the calendar, or the next purchase you want to make?  

These anchors won’t hold us through the tough times. True anchors are strong. Anchors are immovable. Anchors provide stability when life around us is turbulent. We have such an anchor described in Hebrews 6:   

“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:19-20) 

Our hope in Christ is a sure and steadfast anchor for our soul. The rest of this verse might sound like a bunch of confusing religious talk with big words and a long name. But the author of Hebrews is basically saying this: our hope rests on the work Jesus has done to reconcile us to God. 

Because of His sacrifice for us on the cross, we are brought into a relationship with God. We are declared righteous because Jesus was righteous in our place and took the penalty our sin deserved. 

What Christ has done for us can never been taken away. In Christ, we have every spiritual blessing now and forever. (Ephesians 1:3-14). This is our hope – the anchor our souls can hold on to in the most ferocious storm. 

Are your circumstances tossing you haphazardly? What can you cling to that will never fail or waver? I haven’t found anything in my life more steadfast than the promises of my Heavenly Father fulfilled in my Savior. Jesus is our sure and steadfast anchor, and He’s the only anchor we need. 

No matter what we face this week, we have a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls. 

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Someone asked me recently how my day had been, and I decided to answer honestly: exhausting. A busy day in the midst of a busy week in the midst of a busy month had worn me out, and summer break can’t get here soon enough. I suspect I’m not the only one feeling weary right now. 

Maybe you’re caring for young kids or an aging parent and feel like you never get time to recharge or take a break. 

Maybe you’re pouring yourself out all day into a demanding job, and then heading home to face another long list of responsibilities.   

Maybe your exhaustion stems from an ongoing struggle to parent a challenging child, cope with illness, or grieve a loss. 

On weary days, I love this promise from Isaiah 40:30-31: 

“Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” 

God gave Isaiah these words of encouragement for Israelites who would be carted off to exile in Babylon. They would need God’s sustaining strength to get them through decades of hardship. And God’s strength would be sufficient for them, just as it is for us today. 

When we wait on the Lord, He will renew our strength. We may not feel like we’re soaring like eagles, but we can trust that His power is carrying us through the challenges we face. 

The previous verse gives us the proof that God can keep His promise: 

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40:28)

Our God is the everlasting God who created the universe. He never gets tired, and He never lacks understanding. His infinite power never runs out. And He promises His sufficient, satisfying strength to those who call out to Him. 

No matter what we face this week, we can trust the Lord to renew our strength.  

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