“But when this happens, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” (Haggai 2:23 NLT)

When God called Zerubbabel to his task, he became like a signet ring on his finger. A signet ring represented authority. If God has called you to a task, God has authorized you to act and speak on his behave.

A signet ring was used by a king to sign documents or give authenticity to proclamations, edicts, and the like. Jesus Christ is the all-powerful signet ring on the hand of the Father. All authority was given to him in heaven and on earth. When God calls us, and we obey, we become like a signet ring on the hand of Christ. Christ’s authority rested on submitting his will to his heavenly Father; our authorization rests on the subjection of our desires to that of Christ’s. Christ wears our ring to accomplish His will, not ours.

Jesus sealed his authority when he chose his Father’s will rather than his own on the Cross.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Luke 22:42 NLT). Christ achieved this standing through one momentous event on Mt. Calvary. Our stance emanates from a series of events where our will becomes progressively subservient to his.

Your signet ring on the hand of the Father will have great authority when your heart’s desire is like that of Jesus in the garden, not my will but thine.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]