SEEING LOVE TOO LATE

After the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.  Hosea 3:5

    Did you ever come to realize that a love you spurned was really precious?  You didn’t recognize the gift that it was until later.   That often happens.  I can decide how love should look and declare what I want out of the relationship.  In so doing, I close myself off from the myriad of other ways love is expressed.  It isn’t until it’s gone that I look back with improved vision.  I am humbled as I remember one tender gesture after another and think, “How could I have been so blind?”  Continue reading “Seeing Love Too Late” →

CAUTIOUS EXCITEMENT

They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.  Hosea 3: 5

            It would seem that people should run toward something that seems too good to be true.  That’s not always the case.  People often fear joy and success as deeply as they fear despair and failure.

            I remember how I felt on the eve of some of the best days of my life; the days I perceived dreams would come true.  I trembled with a sense of wonder and excitement but I also shook with trepidation.  I wondered if what I had looked forward to would actually be as good as I anticipated.  Trembling was a sign that I was braced for disappointment. Continue reading “Cautious Excitement” →

NO KING, NO PRIEST, NO GOD-CONNECTION

For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or teraphim.  Hosea 3:4

            When a nation turns her back on God, it languishes in more ways than just one.  Her loss is more than just spiritual.  It is threefold – according to God.

    1.) She will not have a king or prince.  She will be void of the national or political leadership she needs.  People will look to leaders for justice.  It won’t be found because corruption will mark the climate of the government.  She will look for compassion, for fairness, and for respect.  Promises for all three might have been made during the election process, but once the leaders were installed, such rhetoric was forgotten. Continue reading “No King, No Priest” →

MINUS REVENGE

Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days.  You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man, so I will also be toward you.” Hosea 3:3

    It’s pretty easy to do the right thing when there is nothing to cloud our motivation.  I can be gracious to a stranger.  I can love others who haven’t hurt me. However, if I am in relationship with someone with who consistently wounds me, my choices for relating are clouded by my unresolved hurt.  Let someone attack me long enough and my claws will probably come out.  Continue reading “Minus Revenge” →

BREAKING THE CYCLE OF ISOLATION

I will sow her for Myself in the land.  I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion.  Hosea 2:23

    Our sin has consequences but God is able to look into the future, past the present time when we suffer the effects of our choices, and see His act of redemption played out.  He knows how He will intervene on our behalf, how He will show mercy when we think we deserve none.  He is clear about the nature of His unchanging love even in the face of our unfaithfulness.

    Israel had played the harlot and gone after other gods.  God marked her way with thorns so that her travel would be beset with hardship.  This was not to be cruel but to encourage her to come back home.  Still, she spurned His love and continued traveling in the opposite direction.  Continue reading “Breaking The Cycle Of Isolation” →

I CAN’T BELIEVE WHO I AM 

 I will say to those called `Not my people, ‘ `You are my people’; and they will say, `You are my God.’ ”  Hosea 2: 23 

            Has it ever been said of you, “She’ll never amount to much!”  Maybe others thought you were too sick, too emotionally unstable, too old, or simply had too many tragedies to overcome to live a life that counts.  Whatever the comments, statements of hopelessness can cripple a person’s spirit if they don’t fortify themselves with the words of God.  Continue reading “I Can’t Believe Who I Am” →

TILL DEATH AND BEYOND

I will betroth you to me forever.  Hosea 2: 19

           “I’ll be your friend forever,” many say to one another.  Yet one small comment that leads to a misunderstanding has the potential to fracture the relationship and cause the friendship to erode. Continue reading “Till Death And Beyond” →

DIFFERENT KIND OF MARRIAGE

I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. Hosea 2: 19

            Betrothal to the God of Israel can seem frightening but it is nothing to fear.  On earth, many experience marriages characterized by unrighteousness, injustice; one void of love and compassion.  Marriage seems more like entrapment, a death sentence to the heart, and less like a beautiful representation of a union with God.

            How does a woman open her soul to a man when sinfulness rules his heart and unfairness is the daily, expected outcome?  Continue reading “Different Kind of Marriage” →

THE CROSS AND SACRIFICE

I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips.  Hosea 2: 17

            The cross symbolizes sacrifice.  God sacrificed His Son.  Jesus sacrificed His life.  And if I decide to follow Jesus Christ, I must come by way of the cross and sacrifice my rights to myself, including the right to worship anything or anyone but Jesus.

God asks me to remove the names of other gods from my lips.  As long as I speak their names with awe, bonding with God is impossible.  Continue reading “The Cross & Sacrifice” →

NAME CHANGE

“In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me `my husband’; you will no longer call me `my master.’  Hosea 2: 16

            The only thing that used to unsettle me more than thinking of myself as a slave in God’s household was discovering that He designed me to be intimate with Him as a bride.  I feared God’s intentions because slavery had become very comfortable.  I had grown accustomed to the pace of working tirelessly, of training myself to perform grueling tasks without complaint.  I was so used to pain that I hardly noticed its presence.  I was out of touch with the needs of my body and spirit.  Continue reading “Name Change” →