The Anchor of Hope: Inspiration from the Lives of Biblical Women

By Dr. Arvis Murrell

During personal storms, many women ask, Is there hope for me?

The biblical answer is yes!

Living in a world full of disappointments and shattered dreams, we aspire to be more than just clichés or positive thinkers. We want an anchor to prevent our drifting away from the cares of life. In the midst of a storm, rather than drowning in a sea of hopelessness or placing trust in worldly things, the Lord calls us to put our hope in Him. Violent winds and rain may come, but with God as the anchor, we can stand firm during turbulent times.

In The Anchor of Hope, Dr. Arvis Murrell throws a lifeline to those sinking in despair and a supportive hand to others looking to find a light on a dark day.

In this book, you’ll meet some of the most influential women of the Bible. Through their remarkable stories, you’ll learn how to put your faith in God. Let him be your anchor, your hope, and firm foundation; He’ll never let you down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639617289

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The Anchor of Hope

Inspiration from the Lives of Biblical Women

Dr. Arvis Murrell

Copyright © 2022 by Dr. Arvis Murrell

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Inspiration from the Lives of Biblical Women

I walked out of my front door into a breezy, beautiful, partly cloudy, seventy-five-degree day. Half a mile into my walk, a mighty gust of wind hit me from the side, making it difficult to keep walking in a straight line. Maybe I need to turn back, I said, stopping to ponder my choices. Then I wondered, If I turned around, how would I get my exercise that day? I’ll just keep going; after all, it’s only wind.

I endured until I turned the corner. Suddenly, I felt the thrust of the wind at my back, and it howled in my ear, challenging me to stay in control without rushing ahead; I persevered. I continued along a curved stretch to meet a gale head on, threatening to take my breath away. I leaned into the wind and thrust myself forward until I made it around the corner. I kept pushing to reach my last corner two blocks from home.

It would have been easier to turn around after a half mile and let the wind drive me home. Instead, I committed to finishing the journey. Regardless of how the wind tried to force me in a different direction, I made it home safe. Within a few minutes, the wind stopped, and all remained calm. I went inside and sat at the kitchen table with a cold beverage. The walk left me exhausted but triumphant.

This experience brings a parallel to the many storms in life. Oftentimes, storms hit with no warnings. For instance, as a single mom discovers she’s no longer employed, she now wonders how she’ll feed the family and pay the rent. The storm clouds come rolling in, and the winds gain momentum, battering her ship. She begins to doubt her ability as a mother and throws down her anchor to keep from drifting.

But Jesus invites us to believe in His power even in the midst of howling winds and high seas. For He’s bigger than the storm we’re in, and nothing stops Him from coming to us.

But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. Save me, Lord! he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. You have so little faith, Jesus said. Why did you doubt me? When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. (Matthew 14:30–32 NLT)

A life without Jesus is like a ship missing an anchor, tossing back and forth. Remember, He’s the master of the winds and waves. With Jesus, we’re never alone in the boat. He strolls through the waters which threaten to sink us and walks through the winds coming to overturn us. For His anchor gives hope, keeping us steadfast during trials and storms of life. Things change, and life changes. Our responsibility is holding everything loosely, not anchoring our well-being in a particular outcome but, instead, hoping in Daddy-God who takes care of us no matter what the circumstances say.

Sometimes, it seems a storm never ends. Perhaps you’re there right now facing sickness, divorce, financial troubles, a prodigal child, a crisis of faith—tempting you to grasp a hold of things that won’t last. But don’t dismay. Cling to God, for His anchor holds. Even when the storm rages, Jesus brings real hope. From your own boat, listen to the voice crying out, Take courage. Jesus walks on top of waves, comforting you and encouraging you to not be afraid.

Hope is a powerful thing. It inspires us to do the impossible and carry on during difficult times. Hope appears in various forms, such as through music or a close friend.

My passion lies with encouraging others with hope through writing. If you’re searching for a little extra inspiration, you’ve come to the right place. In this book, I share stories and testimonies from influential Biblical women who emerged from dark seasons of life. As a Christian counselor, too often, I hear the cries of women wounded by negative life events and faced with unprecedented challenges. The Anchor of Hope offers confidence, encouragement, and strength for such women.

As we take this journey together, may you find hope and healing among these pages.

A Prayer of Hope

Heavenly Father, show us how to face the storms of life without fear. Much like preparing for a ravaging storm by anchoring valuables to a firm source, help steady our hearts in the solid foundation of your Word. For the Word shines light on the dark path, enabling us to find our way when wandering through the storm. When life seems to crumble around us, we remain the same. A constant heartbeat in an unsure world, you anchor lives and calm restless souls. Even as battered ships prove seaworthy, may the faith of each reader prove trustworthy as they hold onto hope, for you control the waters.

In Jesus’s name, amen.

Chapter 1

Sarah’s Promise

Sarah is one of the better-known women in the Bible and a favorite for many. After waiting for an unfulfilled promise for decades, enduring mood swings and hot flashes, she struggled with her faith. God promised her a baby. Past the age of childbearing, Sarah’s faith faltered, but God didn’t change His promise. In spite of her struggle, she’s legendary for her enduring faithfulness to God and unwavering commitment, inspiring us to finish the race well.

Power for the Promise

It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. (Hebrews 11:11 NLT)

Everything about Sarah’s story teaches us how powerless we stand in fulfilling God’s promises on our own. God promised Sarah a child. However, after years of waiting, Sarah found herself utterly powerless to conceive God’s promised son. Not only did Sarah have a long history of infertility, she was now over ninety years old, clearly past the age of childbearing.

Through Sarah’s power only, it was humanly impossible to conceive a child. But fulfillment of God’s promises depended on the very thing she couldn’t do. The same thing is true for us. We’re promised the whole world and blessings, not only to be enjoyed in this present life, but for all eternity. Yes, the greatness of God’s promises to those in Christ exists beyond our ability to comprehend. Yet even the smallest of these promised blessings rests outside of our capability to fulfill them. Just like Sarah, we’re barren.

We naturally want to reject the thought of lacking power. We like to think we play a role in our salvation and spiritual blessings. The saying God helps those who help themselves stands as one of the most quoted phrases in religious circles, but here’s the problem: the phrase isn’t biblical. We hate the idea of not helping ourselves since this seems to render a situation hopeless, but God’s plan prevails. His promises occur by His power, not ours.

Offering Ishmael

And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. (Genesis 16:4 KJV)

God promised Sarah great fruitfulness. Yet years passed with still no seed. For between the promise and the provision lay a barren womb. From the natural womb, things looked very bleak. Sarah probably wondered, if God planned to make her the mother of Abraham’s heir, why was nothing happening? So with a trick up her sleeve, in desperation, Sarah sent Abraham into Hagar, and they conceived a son named Ishmael.

Finally, some fruit? Doubtless. Abraham begged God to reconsider. For in his mind, there was no other way the son of promise could arrive. All other roads were closed, right? No! Hagar’s offspring proved unacceptable. God purposed the promise to come through barrenness so no flesh could get credit. Therefore, He chose Sarah, not Hagar.

As soon as Hagar conceived, Sarah’s remorse shone through. Hagar suddenly grew haughty and contentious toward Sarah. Moreover, Ishmael gave a constant reminder of her lack of faith, although the consequences yielded even greater repercussions. Tensions in the Middle East today remain rooted in Sarah’s scheme to concoct a man-made solution for her dilemma.

Sometimes, God deliberately withholds promises to see if we trust Him as Father or if we’ll attempt to bring the promise to pass through our own endeavors. How often do we appear before God offering Ishmael only to receive an eternal no? Yet we continue to beg God to accept Ishmael. We go about producing the offspring of Hagar, satisfying our own hunger.

How much of what we do today in the name of God yields product of our own desires? Are we any different from Sarah when we develop a plan, kick it in motion by our own strength, then ask God to bless it? And at the time, we know that provision beyond the innovations of our doing requires a miracle from heaven…but what are the chances? Sarah bearing a child seemed unachievable.

Yet God specializes in impossible things like choosing weak things to defeat the mighty. For He makes sure nothing of our flesh triumphs in His presence. We may persuade thousands to follow us, putting their energies into our plan, but if God’s not the father, it comes to naught.

Hope Deferred

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12 KJV)

It’s difficult sitting still as God downloads tons of visions. My problem, I tend to get very impatient with the process of making my vision a reality. I sometimes get caught up in completing the task and forget the vision requires faith to work together with my actions. I figure the more effort I put forth, the faster the goal will be accomplished. When I finally calm down, I realize this isn’t the case; I just need to pace myself. Over the years, God has taught me all things become beautiful in time, so it’s on me to inquire of Him and get into divine flow thereby avoiding frustration.

I think we’ve all lived as Sarah at least once in our lives. God gave Abraham the vision of becoming the father of nations, and by default, Sarah became mother of nations. But the journey between the wilderness and the promise seemed endless.

In the meantime, Sarah’s heart grew sick with impatience, doubt, and insecurity causing her faith in the vision to decrease almost to the point of nonexistence. Sarah’s heart condition distorted her self-worth and purpose for living since personal circumstances didn’t match God’s promise. By the time we see Sarah