LISTEN ONLINEMaybe they were right. Maybe I will never see him again. Heartbroken, I stared at the empty seat next to mine where my fiancé should have been. Confusion and grief were my companions on that long, lonely flight home.
Visa issues had prevented Russell from joining me. And mentors in his life had strongly opposed our relationship, even praying that it wouldn’t work out. Now that international borders separated us, would Russell start to agree with them?
But as I looked at the empty seat, my engagement ring arrested my attention. This wasn’t just Russell’s gift to me; it was his promise.
Likewise, God has made a promise to His people. He “has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 5:5). Like an engagement ring, the Spirit within us is proof that God will one day bring us to His “eternal house in heaven” (v. 1).
In this life, we “groan and are burdened” (v. 4); we struggle, often feeling as heartbroken as I did on that plane. Human promises can be broken. By contrast, God’s Word to us is utterly dependable. So we can confidently “live by faith, not by sight” (v. 7).
Perhaps your faith is wavering today. Take hold of today’s Scripture; God has promised you life in His home. Indeed, He “has fashioned [you] for this very purpose” (v. 5), and His Spirit in you is His guarantee.