Author: Christine Wyrtzen

I would redeem them but they speak lies against me. They do not cry to Me from their heart when they wail on their beds. Hosea 7:13-14 

I want every place of pain in my life redeemed, don’t you? I don’t want the tragedies to remain tragedies. With God’s supernatural touch, they can be transformed and turned for good in front of my very eyes. But, there is a qualification for redemption. It’s this. It is cooperative. I must believe and expect. God is then released to work on my behalf. My internal language of prayer must be of a faith vernacular. 

How do I cooperate then? God says something critical that should catch my attention. “I would redeem them but they speak lies against me.” As soon as I recall the litany of hopeless chatter that used to exit my mouth, I recognize the lies. I had not set a watch over my tongue, taking every thought captive before it turned into words. 

This is just hopeless. It will never turn around. 

God can’t forgive this, not this. 

How dare God let this happen to me! He’s doesn’t love me. 

I know God is supposed to be powerful, but even this is too much for Him to do. 

As long as these words defined my lack of faith, I did not know redemption. It’s often interesting to paraphrase a converse of Scripture. While it isn’t always successful, today I believe it is. So, consider this. “I will redeem them if they speak the truth about me.” Ah, this has the ring of other scriptures, does it not? Before I lay on my bed and wail because I feel I deserve better, or wail because I believe God is anemic, let me consider the acceptable alternative. I can remember that I am not God.

My perceptions and beliefs do not define reality. God’s words do and I will speak words of faith that declare the riches of His character and the power that rests in His right hand. Then and only then, can I await my promised redemption. 

If I’m going to cry, let me cry for the joy of You. Let the tears fall for being privileged enough to live amidst the wonder of Your many redemptions. Amen 

So Ephraim has become like a silly dove, without sense; they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. When they go, I will spread My net over them; I will bring them down like the birds of the sky. I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation to their assembly. Hosea 7:11-12 

When Hosea writes, he is generous with word pictures. He suggests that God’s people have become frantic, like birds without direction. They fly here and there for the a counterfeit nest that will give them a sense of wellbeing. They actually believe that their wanderings can escape God’s notice. They reason that if they turn a blind eye to God, God must turn a blind eye to them. God is clear about this falsehood. He is going to spread His net over them. He reminds them, through the mouth of Hosea, that they will be disciplined. 

Why is it that we are tempted to fly to Egypt? When we are without direction, you’d think that we would seek God first. Yet, we go back to what we once knew. The ways of Egypt of are so ingrained in our fallen nature that we go there by default. It feels comfortable, even though our spirit warns us that we’re going the wrong way. 

It would be wrong to keep this devotional broad so as not to make the point clear. So allow me to personalize it. When pressures come, I can feel frantic for relief. And since temptation always starts with a need, the enemy comes with suggestions for quick ways out of pain. He tempts me to think the way I used to think, indulge in activities that used to be narcotics in my old way of life. He would want to lead me away from God, toward swift fixes. The problem is, I know too much. It’s not the past.  I have a lot of Scripture in me. I’ve been well fed, and I know better. 

Today, Egypt will glitter in the distance. When I feel the battle in my thought life, I will be tempted to visit a landscape I have no business entering. Disbelief, anger, revenge, hopelessness – all these beckon me. Let me be as a bird with clear direction and fly North. True North. 

I fly to You, Lord, for You wait to receive me. Egypt does not compare with the pleasures at Your right hand. You are worth all sacrifices I have to make. Amen 

Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it; yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, yet he does not know it. And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, but they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek Him for all this. Hosea 7:8-10 

Self-awareness is one of the keys to success. We must know how others experience us. We must ask God to consistently reveal our blind spots. Otherwise, we will be like these Israelites. They were void of strength but saw themselves as powerful. They were weak but feigned virility. They spurned their need for God yet believed themselves to be in His favor. 

Blind spots are frightening. Have you ever had dinner with a small group and thought, “Boy, he talks a lot, but he doesn’t seem to know it.” Everyone at the table is polite and gives him their attention. Happy in the spotlight, he talks all the more and is unaware of how he is being experienced. Or perhaps you are part of an intimate Bible Study and one member of your circle is negative. Everyone there is braced for her arrival, knowing the atmosphere will change as soon as she enters the room. She, also, is unaware of herself. She does not see that she is toxic to the environment of vibrant fellowship. 

Anytime we think we are one thing but actually another, we walk in the shoes of these Israelites. Hosea prayed for them and perhaps others are praying for us, that we would come to know a certain truth about ourselves that is hidden when we look in the mirror. There can be terror at the thought of knowing ourselves as we really are. Is there really no good thing in us without Jesus? That is the essence of the Gospel. We come to Christ eaten away with spiritual cancer. No part of us is exempt from the ravages of sin. Intuitively, we do know the truth but run from it.   In spite of this, I was still created in the image of God.  His beauty if also in my DNA.

Oh, that we would embrace the art of self-awareness and see our depravity. It is only then that we plunge into the depths of Christ and covet the robes of righteousness that he offers to put around our shoulders. We must not wallow in the fact that we are undeserving. Let us seize the gift of His love and celebrate the fact that Christ’s transforming power has come to live within us. Perfect love casts out all fears of marred images in the looking glass. 

Show me myself and just why You had to give Your life for me. Amen 

All their kings fall, and none of them calls on me. Hosea 7:7 

Each of us groans under the effects of the fall. Believers and non-believers suffer alike but some never call on God. They cry tears, but only tears looking for relief. There is no introspection. No lessons learned. Tragically, they just stiffen their resolve to survive somehow. There is no other choice for those who don’t know Jesus. It’s the best they can do.

God invites me to share in the suffering of His Son.  Because His trials had meaning, mine can too.  I was created to reveal the glory of God and His light can shine through me even on the darkest days.  When glory is revealed against the backdrop of tragedy, the Gospel is on full display and Jesus can be seen. I show others that the joy of being His, the joy of His companionship, and the assurance that my pain has a purpose, is far more weighty than the burden.   

Today, some will suffer the unfair accusations of others. They will either be eaten away with the anger of injustice, or they will choose to understand Jesus more when they remember that He was falsely accused and accepted it humbly – all for us. Today, others will watch a loved one wither away with cancer and the loss will either cripple them or cause them to more fully embrace the joy that life is eternal. Death is the doorway to abundant life, not a tragic ending. Today, a parent’s heart will break over path of a rebellious child. They will be tempted to disown their own son or daughter, or they will choose to explore the truth of their own past rebellion against God. They will trace, once again, His never- ending supply of mercy. 

With each cross comes a choice. Meaningless suffering – or the chance to find the heart and purposes of God in our tears. For any of us who endeavor to discover the latter, our pain will be bittersweet ~ bitter enough to lament but sweet enough to radiate hope in our tears.

Meet me with mercy in the fire. Amen 

Their hearts are like an oven as they approach their plotting. Their anger smolders all night, in the morning it burns like a flaming fire. Hosea 7:6 

The keeper of the fire must stoke the coals to keep them alive. The embers need to be hot, ready for the job of baking the morning bread. There will be no fire without someone fiddling with the coals. The message is clear. No person commits a sin without forethought. 

Every sin begins as a seed. For it to grow from a thought to an external action, the idea must reside on the back burner of our minds. We will nurture it. It will be turned over and over in our heads, the place we think we can indulge safely.  But, the heat of the coals is being preserved and fire will not be far away. 

This concept is the very one Paul talked about in I Corinthians regarding ‘burning lust.’ If we nurture lust in our thought life, it is already a lighted fuse. 

How can we be protected from fire?  By taking every thought captive. Our minds are a battlefield. Not far away from us, Satan’s minions have pitched their tent. He strategizes, trying to discern what ideas he can pitch to us that will be so attractive and so familiar to our DNA that we believe they originated with us. Once embraced, they take on a life of their own. Satan loves to be our companion as we tend the coals. 

Ah, but there’s another fire I much prefer tending. Deep inside my spirit, the Spirit of God invites me to stoke the fires of righteousness. How much better for me to discern His thoughts, choose to think on the things He suggests, and ask Him to stir the embers. The fire of a consecrated thought life is sure to burst into flames.  

Thank You for passion, for consuming me. Your tent is my home. Amen 

What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. Hosea 6:4 

It is confusing to experience fickle behavior from a friend. One moment their eyes may be framed with concern, the next, they are unmoved by our plight. Not being able to predict which ‘friend’ we will encounter, our heart cannot fully rest. We are on guard when sharing our thoughts and feelings.

Many have been raised by parents whose behavior was unpredictable. Happy one day, but unavailable emotionally the next. The children lived anxious and unsure of themselves As adults, they somehow perceive that God is fickle, too. They have a difficult time relaxing in His love. They believe that He has two faces and will change without provocation.

God stays the same. We are the ones who change. God knows all too well that we are the fickle ones. Yet, He is not reserved with us. He is like a lover who shares Himself with abandon, hoping for the best. When the outcome is warm and affectionate, He is satiated. When we regard Him with disinterest or level unfair accusations at Him, He continues to pursue us anyway even though His heart is left longing. That God would make Himself vulnerable to the likes of you and me seems ludicrous, yet that is how much He values companionship. He planned our birth, watched our development, and waited for the day when we would look up and say, “You love me and You proved it. I am Yours!” 

Dew appears in the morning when the day is new, but with a little heat it dissipates. May my love for God be unlike the dew.  It needs to survive my own fears, circumstances that would seem to implicate His unfairness, and the heat of fiery trials.  I want to love Him as He loves me ~ all the time, no matter what.

Mature my love.  Amen 

Let us acknowledge the LORD; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. Hosea 6: 3 

North Georgia, my home, has experienced numerous drought conditions in the 20+ summers I’ve lived here. The spirit of people grew heavier the longer it went on and the more we watched the landscape turn brown. Watering bans reminded us that water is precious, necessary for life. 

There were natural casualties. A certain kind of pine tree in our area died. One could see swaths of dead pines along the road while driving. They did not die, directly, from lack of water. However, lack of water made them vulnerable to a certain beetle, which was able to invade the trees and kill them. Without rain, they became prey to their enemies. 

Oh, the joy when it rained. I remember hearing the crashes of thunder one night, thanked the Lord for it, and got up to go sit on the porch to bask in the sound of the rain coming down on the roof. My heart was full the next morning as I saw the plants looking strong and upright, ground around them wet with moisture.

As nature declares the glory of God and provides spiritual metaphors from which we can learn, I consider the times I have known spiritual drought. Just as a landscape does not dry up overnight, so I have known and experienced the slow starvation of my soul. The more time I spent away from the refreshing rains of God’s spirit, the more my spiritual being shriveled for lack of nourishment. And, just as the pine trees became vulnerable to intruders, my spirit became food for the locusts. I was not strong enough to fight off the arrows of the enemy. 

When I sought God persistently with my whole heart, the rains of His Spirit began to fall. They trickled into the barren places of my soul. I soaked up the moisture like a sponge and could feel myself coming to life, spiritually.  As I began to feel spiritual hunger, I became ravenous.  Even the crumbs felt like a feast. 

Today, I tip my face toward You, the Giver of life. Bathe me in the nourishing rains of Your Spirit. Amen 

Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Hosea 6:1-2 

Remember what it was like to go after something that you knew wasn’t really good for you?  It was hard to convince yourself that you shouldn’t have it because it sure felt great. Indulgence made you momentarily happy.  God has a way of tearing those things out of our hands. If you’ve lived through God’s discipline, the feelings of loss are probably still quite vivid. 

Before God can form a leader, He must remove all the props that give His child a false sense of security. He needs disciples who will hear His voice and obey.  Other entanglements and allegiances will create distance in the relationship.  There won’t be a connection to fuel the faith necessary for the calling.  

Today, perhaps you lay in a heap. You are under God’s correction. What you trusted in has been taken away from you. The person you needed has been torn from your grasp. You might wonder how you will go on. Is God really there? Oh yes. Hosea’s God-breathed words about God’s character rings through the centuries and seeks to find rest in the middle of our torment. God removes the props, but He does heal. God strikes, but He also binds our wounds. His voice will be tender and instructive as He extends a new beginning. 

Hosea’s words are also prophetic. Can you hear the familiar ring of His narrative?  “After two days, He will revive us, on the third day He will raise us up.”  This foreshadowed Jesus, the One who would rest in the grave for two days, but then burst forth to new life on the third. The one to whom we surrender today is the only One who has the power to resurrect. He delights in bestowing life beyond the graves of our own making. 

No one restores like You. No one. I surrender to the many faces of Your love. Amen 

Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone. Hosea 4:17 

Ephraim was the largest tribe of the nation of Israel. Because of that, the prophets often referred to Israel as Ephraim. They were considered one in the same. God is clear that judgment is coming against them. They have forsaken the ways of God for so long that He will step back and they will have to handle life on their own. When the Assyrian army comes, they will face them in their own strength.  And, they will lose. 

My prayer this morning is this ~ “Father, don’t let me become unresponsive to You. Keep working on me.” As long as God is on my side, whom shall I fear? 

Jesus revealed to Peter that Satan had demanded permission to sift him like wheat. Jesus did not leave him alone to face the attack. He supported him by praying for him. 

He continues in that role today if you are one of His disciples. Right now, because He has knowledge of the future, He is praying for you. He knows how you will be tempted to fail. He sees the ones who will set out to discourage you. He foresees the threats on all sides, both internally and externally. He hears the rumblings of hell, the whispers of plots to erode your faith and steal your joy. Aren’t you moved beyond words about such a faithful friend in prayer?  He is not going to leave you alone to fend for yourself.  

As a woman, I can often feel like the one who nurtures everyone else. Women are great caregivers, the ones who establish the emotional climate of the home, and sometimes, even the church. Oftentimes, it’s easy to feel that there are few to look after us. Not true. Jesus is praying round the clock for every single thing that concerns each of us. Why would we ever allow ourselves to grow cold and unresponsive!

When I closed my eyes this morning, I could actually perceive Your lips moving silently in prayer. I am bent low with gratitude. Amen 

Do not let Judah become guilty; may they not go to Gilgal or go up to Beth-aven. Hosea 4:15 

During Hosea’s lifetime, God’s people were divided into two nations. Israel was to the north and Judah was to the south. Israel had strayed farther from God’s ways than Judah. In this verse, God gives a cautionary word to Judah so that the purity of her faith will not deteriorate further. His encouragement was this ~ Do not go to Gilgal or Beth-aven. These cities, both in Israel, were the centers of idol worship. If a citizen of Judah traveled there, most likely he would be drawn to partake in some kind of idolatrous activity. 

I must also be careful to avoid situations that put me in vulnerable places. Being near what causes me to stumble is poor planning because I underestimate its allure. It could be that God is doing a new work in me and because it has just been birthed, it is fragile.  Suppose there is a person in my life who withholds their support. Their words unnerve me and erode my confidence. Listening to them and seeking their input correlates with going to Gilgal. 

God wants me to use common sense. If I am an alcoholic, I will avoid places where there is social drinking. If I thrive on gossip, I should steer clear of coffee circles that make a sport of finding fault with those who can’t defend themselves. If I am self- critical, I should limit the company of those who delight in tearing me down. I am not invincible and I can often be like the toddler standing in front of a plate full of warm cookies. Once I taste one, I will have no restraint until I get sick from over-indulgence. 

May God make me a strategic planner so that I can see danger ahead of time.  Give me the strength to change course. In Jesus’ name, Amen