Even So, it is Well with My Soul

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us”(Hebrews 6:19-20). Life is full of difficulty and suffering. This is true for believers and unbelievers alike. No one is exempt. Everyone, both young and old, has been or will be affected by the fallen world in which we live. Abuse, sickness, emotional and spiritual distress, loss, depression, death—all this and more are the things humanity must deal with as they pass through this thing called life. It can all be summed up in one word—suffering—and none of us, if we are honest, really cares too much for it. But as believers, we need not worry or become overwhelmed. We can always say, “Even so, it is well with my soul.” The writer of Hebrews describes this “even so” as hope. “This hope,” he writes, “we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us.” This hope is a living hope, embodied in Christ Himself. He is right now, this very moment, in the Father’s presence in the heavenly Holy of Holies on our behalf. This hope is a hope for the fulfillment of God’s salvation promises—eternal life with Christ—and is the “anchor of the soul” that keeps you and me secure during times of difficulty and suffering. I am a living testimony to this awesome truth!

I have always been drawn to Scriptures about suffering. It has always intrigued me how God takes something so seemingly painful and awful and uses it for the good of His people and His own glory (see Rom. 8:18-39). Perhaps this is because simple logic would lead one to conclude suffering could never possibly have a good outcome. But for the Christian, this simply is not so. We are told suffering results in the “testing of your faith [which] produces endurance” (James 1:3). Not only that, the Bible says this “endurance” results in our being made “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4). Wait a minute! How can suffering, which almost always results in pain and loss, oftentimes tremendous pain and loss at that, result in our being made “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”? It simply does not make any sense! The key is our understanding what is meant by the words “perfect and complete.” He doesn’t mean sinless perfection here, but spiritual maturity. The testing of our faith drives us to a deeper relationship with and greater trust in God and His Word. In other words, we grow in our relationship with God thus growing in our faith. It is no wonder Paul writes, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” (Col. 1:24). He was motivated to endure suffering because it not only resulted in a deeper communion with Christ and spiritual growth, it also benefited other believers (see 2 Cor. 1:3-11). Suffering also calls us to an eternal hope. It helps us get our eyes off this world and onto eternal matters instead. This is what the writer of Hebrews meant when he referred to “hope…as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.” You and I as believers can endure whatever suffering life may bring our way because of our heavenly hope.

I seldom share this but most folks have no idea my wife and I have suffered tremendous pain and loss. Our children are with the Lord. But we can both testify to the truth of God’s Word—we have grown closer to God and one other. He has and continues to strengthen our faith. He has caused us to long, not for this world, but for our eternal home with Christ (and our children). We truly have a heavenly hope that serves “as an anchor of the soul.” Like the patriarchs of old, we know that we will, if the Lord tarries, one day “die in faith, without receiving the promises” (Heb. 11:13). But we have “seen them [and therefore] desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:13-16). We firmly believe that God’s approval comes through our faith and that God has “provided something better for us” (Heb. 11:39-40). Are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Are you experiencing suffering? Do not be discouraged. You have something the rest of the world doesn’t have or understand—a heavenly hope that serves “as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.” Therefore, “continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I was made a minister” (Col. 1:23). And remember, you can always say, “Even so, it is well with my soul.” No amount of suffering can ever take that away from you!