Precious and protected; trustworthy in transition

Do you keep a journal? If so, I can imagine that there are days when you write only a few lines, and other days when you fill page after page. At least, that's how it is for me. Yesterday, for example, was one of those "mega entry" days. I was reading the Old Testament book of Haggai, a tiny prophetic book of only two chapters, so you may wonder how I managed to sit for hours and fill sixteen pages in my journal. It just seemed that there were so many insights in these chapters: about priorities, about transitions, about God's promises and provision...

Perhaps "transitions" is one of the key words in that sentence. About six years ago, when I was going through the huge transition of leaving South Africa and moving back to Europe, I was filling a journal every four to six weeks - about ten notebooks in the course of the first year. (Normally my journal notebook lasts at least six to ten months, or even a whole year.)

The Bible books of Haggai and Zechariah, placed near the end of the Old Testament, were written to a people in transition. The people of Judah had been in captivity, in exile for seven decades. For seventy years, they had been far from their own home. Many had died there... and many others had been born during the exile. And now these people faced the huge, exciting, scary, exhilarating, uncertain, amazing, sometimes overwhelming transition of moving back to Judah and rebuilding their lives and their homes all over again.

They arrived back to a city in ruins: the walls of Jerusalem were so broken down that they would present no obstacle if an enemy tried to enter the city. And at this most insecure time, God makes them an amazing promise of protection during their transition. He says, "I'll be your protection. The city may not have walls, but I'll be like a wall of fire around you." A wall of fire: that's pretty impenetrable. And then God adds (Zechariah 2: 8): "For whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye!" Wow! What security that brings to us in our transitions. We are not only protected; we are also precious to Him.

Yesterday, in my Haggai reading, there was yet another picture that speaks to us of being protected and precious. Even though the people who returned to Jerusalem feel insecure and intimidated by neighbouring enemies, they respond to God's challenge to start rebuilding the Temple, so that worship becomes a priority and God can have His rightful place in their midst again. In response, God promises them, "From this day on, I will bless you." Then God speaks to Zerubbabel and says, " I will take you and make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you." What a wonderful promise for this leader in transition: a signet ring is permanently on the bearer's finger and is carried with Him wherever He goes. To be like God's signet ring is a wonderful promise of His constant presence. It's a reminder too of how precious we are, because signet rings are usually made of precious metals like gold, silver or platinum.

In antiquity, signet rings were originally worn by kings, and they were a symbol of the ruler's authority. In days when a person's signature/handwriting was less identifiable than it is today, the signet ring was also used to place a seal on documents and attest to their authenticity. (Even today, when a Pope dies, the first duty of the Cardinal Camerlengo is to find the papal signet ring and destroy it.) When the Lord says that He is making someone like His signet ring, it's a promise of anointing with His power and authority, a seal of approval on that person's authenticity.

Transitions are often times when you're not sure what the future holds, when you're wondering if you will continue to be used as fruitfully by God in your new season or new location as you were in the past. At such a time, it's an incredible blessing to hear God say that He will make you like His signet ring. It's yet another assurance that we are protected and precious as we move through the different seasons and transitions of our lives.... and that God is present and trustworthy in whatever changes and challenges we face.