On an evening not too long ago I unearthed my copy of Elisabeth Elliot’s book, Passion and Purity, from the stack of books in my closet. I was in need of some encouragement and Elisabeth’s words have a way of giving hope. Even though I’ve read the book many times over, I’ll never be tired of it. The wisdom and guidance found in it’s pages are timeless, and invaluable for young people navigating the often rough and complicated journey of singleness. Maybe sometime I should write a book review on it to convince you all to buy a copy.
No, never mind. I don’t want another writing project.
My advice- just go read it and decide for yourself!
Anyways, as I was flipping through the book reading random pages, I saw a scripture reference I did not remember seeing before. I made note of it and continued reading. The next day I looked up the passage in Hosea 2:14-23. By the time I got to verse 19 I was grinning.
Do you ever feel sometimes like you get a hug from God? Though it sounds rather illusory, I have at times felt like He gave me one. As I read Hosea chapter 2 I couldn’t stop smiling because I definitely had just been hugged by my Heavenly Father. He knew what I was struggling in, and He gave me the encouragement I needed.
Here are the words from Hosea 2 that stood out to me above the rest.
And I will give her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out if Egypt.
And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement, and in loving kindness, and in mercies.
I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord. 2:15,19-20
Though the “door of hope” part is really what I wanted to write about, the betroth verses bear some importance and are worthy of some thought. They were what first caught my attention.
The word betroth in this passage is used three times! What I found really neat was the meaning of the term “betroth”. It sounds a bit archaic these days, being a word not used much in our modern English. Who on earth is betrothed anymore anyways?
Well, I discovered that to betroth essentially means to “make to belong”. In the practice of arranged marriages, two sets of parents would betroth their children, thus ensuing a betrothal period that could be years long depending upon the age of the young people. The contract and dowry price were legal and binding, even as much as marriage itself.
Now apply that meaning to the verse in Hosea, and we see that God has betrothed us to himself, with a bond that can only be broken by us walking away. He will not break His covenant. Ever.
After I had been reading over and over about being betrothed to God (while smiling like a little kid), I jumped back up to verse 15 and became captivated by the door of hope. What was a door of hope?
This is my take on it. The door of hope is a door you’d like to see opened, but you don’t know yet if it is what God wants for you. So you wait beside it; hoping, watching, praying. It may open, it may not. But with God there is always hope and you can rest in His faithfulness and sing! I liked that part the best – “and she shall sing there.”
Yes, I can sing. Even though quite often I’d rather cry outside my door of hope and bang on its cold, foreboding surface crying out for it to open. Like a spoiled child I want to wail and try to force it open my way so I can have what I want.
Then I hear my Father gently reminding me that I am His. He has that door closed for a reason, and it is for my good. Like the chick hatching from it’s shell that is supposed to struggle in order to be strong, I must suffer the pain and difficulty of waiting.
If you have a door of hope right now, and you feel as if you’ve been staring at it closed for too long, remember Hosea 2:19-20. We are betrothed to God. He has us in the palm of His hand and will never walk away! Some doors are closed for a reason, and always for our good.
His ways are best.
Hiding in the Light 