The Spirit’s Guarantee

II Peter
1.19-21

“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Peter is on a path here and he is not straying, I think we’ll see why in the coming days; he is determined to remind us that what we have believed and what we have heard is true – especially that which was prophetic.  He’s not wishy-washy about it either.  Straight up, it is “something completely reliable.”  There’s no qualifying it with a “Well, you know, it could be or it couldn’t be.”  He does not even pretend to give it false weight – he guarantees it’s full weight!  What in this world is completely reliable?  Nothing.  Human beings fail, the stock market plunges up and down, even the best baristas make a bad latte every once in a while!  But not God, and certainly not his prophetic word, which even though it came through human beings, is fully guaranteed because, and catch this, they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit.  

Oh, Spirit of God, carry me – carry me to eternity – even if I never see the results of my efforts, carry me forth!  This is the light shining in a dark place to which Peter refers.  If you are in a dark room and there is a light, do you avoid looking at the light?  No, it gives you direction…but too often I bury myself in the corner, hiding myself from the light ashamed of how I have been living.  Walk toward the light, using it as a guide, “until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

Again, will we call out God as a liar and perish?  Or will we believe, will we trust and step forward, allowing the same Spirit who carried all of those men and women who proved their faith over time to carry us?