Hosea 14:3-4 and 9 – Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say
'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in
you the fatherless find compassion." "I will heal their
waywardness and love them freely, for my anger
has turned away from them.
…..Who is wise? He will realize these
things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of
the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
Hosea’s last words to the people were God’s call to return
to him. He begged them to realize that no other nation…no other god could help
them. True restoration would come only
from a heart that uttered to God to forgive their sins and ask him to be
gracious in restoring their nation back to its former strength.
God promised to cure them from their idolatry and
unfaithfulness. He promised to increase his love to them in unmeasured bounds. He
would remove all his anger from them and restore them like the morning dew
refreshes the earth in the springtime.
Hosea’s last chapter reminded me of my favorite verse…Jeremiah
29:11. He knows the plans he has for us…and
wants to give us good things...to bless us with the wisdom and discernment we
need …so our future prospers in his love….even though we don’t deserve it….(translation
mine).
It is our choice whether to accept this great love…and let
it enrich our life. We can cling to the
earthly things around us that we think are giving us happiness…or we can turn
those things over to God…realizing that they are gifts…on loan only to do hs
will here on earth.
Father…thank you for the reminder that I must daily seek a
time with you to ask you to expose any sin in my life…and ask you to remove it
and fill the space it occupied with more of your love. Thank you for the promise to care for me…even
though I stray far away from you will at times.
Thank you for the promise of restoration no matter what mistakes I make. Help me to wake each morning and thank you
for the day to come…and claim your promise of growth for my good. Amen.
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