This is Day 6 of 31 Days of Hope-filled Living. To start over with Day 1, click here.
“And this is no empty hope, for God himself is the one who has prepared us for this wonderful destiny. And to confirm this promise, he has given us the Holy Spirit, like an engagement ring, as a guarantee. That’s why we’re always full of courage. Even while we’re at home in the body, we’re homesick to be with the Master.”
– 2 Corinthians 5:5-6
“Now may the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father God, who loved us and in his wonderful grace gave us eternal comfort and a beautiful hope that cannot fail …”
– 2 Thessalonians 2:16
“[The Spirit] is given to us like an engagement ring, as the first installment of what’s coming! He is our hope-promise of a future inheritance which seals us until we have all of redemption’s promises and experience complete freedom—all for the supreme glory and honor of God!”
Ephesians 1:14
If you grew up learning about the history of the Holy Spirit’s influence in the early church, it’s difficult to put yourself in the Apostle’s shoes and imagine that He was a relatively new arrival on the scene, or at least in that form of Him. Paul and his contemporaries had grown up knowing God the Father and then had their minds blown to learn that this dude named Jesus was ALSO the Lord of Heaven and Earth. And then on top of that, a new invisible Guy that Jesus referred to as the Counselor was also God, incarnate not as a human but as a presence within the believers. What?! It was almost too much to comprehend, and quite a feat to be able to teach others this theology. Can you imagine being in Peter’s or James’s or Timothy’s position and having to teach this new doctrine, this brand new understanding of who God is and how He operates? We can see Paul doing his best in the verses above, with God’s inspired assistance.
The Holy Spirit is Hope’s Down Payment
In 2 Corinthians 5:6, the greek word tharreó is often translated in English as confidence, but it also means “courageous, confident, and of good cheer,” which would be a great description of hope, wouldn’t you say? And the word in Ephesians 1:14 for guarantee (hope-promise) is arrabón, which means “an earnest, earnest-money, a large part of the payment, given in advance as a security that the whole will be paid afterwards.” In other words, the Holy Spirit is a believer’s indwelling deposit, a confident guarantee we hold within ourselves of the promise to come, and from Him comes HOPE as a (super)natural result.
“So many of us limit our praying because we are not reckless in our confidence in God. In the eyes of those who do not know God, it is madness to trust Him, but when we pray in the Holy Spirit we begin to realize the resources of God, that He is our perfect heavenly Father, and we are His children.”
– Oswald Chambers (emphasis added)
Each time we purchase a home, we are required to open escrow by putting a few or several thousand dollars into an account that will be paid out to the seller. That money is also called good faith or earnest money because it shows that we’re really serious about buying the house and if we try to back out under the wrong intentions, the seller would get to keep that money. For that reason, they can feel confident to stop entertaining other offers and proceed forward with steps like appraisals and inspections. That’s how Paul explains the Holy Spirit in Ephesians: He is our earnest money, proof that Jesus has indeed purchased us for heaven, taking us off the market for hell, and promising that He will indeed pay in full. And we know that this hope is real because we have the Spirit, the Counselor-Comforter-Guide, this peace-Giver, power-Filler person of the Godhead within the escrow account of our heart, closer than our breath.
When you or a friend received an engagement ring, did your confidence in that relationship increase? Of course it did! You knew the fiancé and fiancée were serious about their commitments—so serious that he put his money where his mouth was and “put a ring on it.”
If you’ve lost confidence or hope in Jesus lately, just take a glance at the 3-carat ring sitting on your finger and remember How much He loves you, and that His promise is true. The Holy Spirit within you, whispering in love and power and peace and joy and goodness and love, He is your tangible guarantee to make your hope confident. He is your evidence that Jesus intends to fulfill everything He has ever promised you.
Hope How-to: Take a few minutes to reflect on who the Holy Spirit is to you. What evidence in your life have you seen of Him? Maybe He has given you comfort in grief that you didn’t understand and didn’t expect. Maybe He has given you peace you couldn’t explain. Maybe He has shown up in a gentle whisper on the breeze and you realized His love. Maybe you’ve heard His voice in the laughter of a baby or the song of a bird. How do you know He is real? After your reflection, journal or draw about your thoughts. Ask God to teach you more about who He is as Holy Spirit. Invite Him to reveal something even deeper. And finally, thank Jesus for giving you such an extravagant engagement ring/escrow as a guarantee of the glory to come.
Prayer: Oh Spirit, You are so precious to us. I pray that You will reveal Your hope-filled guarantee to my Reader. Please show her the treasure You are, a deposit sealing the deal with her and Jesus, a reason to believe all of His promises with confidence and courage. Reveal Your guidance, power, wisdom, healing, truth, peace, and love to each of us more today than ever before. Thank You for your presence that is closer than a breath, every moment of every day. You are the Promise. You are Hope embodied.
Thank you so much for joining my Nest today. I hope these words have given you some hope today. If you like what you’re reading, please remember to subscribe to my newsletter so that you can catch all of the hope-filled posts like this in your inbox.
I love you,