Hosea 8:1-3
- "Put the trumpet to
your lips! An eagle is over the house of the LORD because
the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my
law. Israel cries out to me, 'O our God, we
acknowledge you!' But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy
will pursue him.
Hosea did not paint a comfy picture for these people that Had rebelled against
the covenant they had made with God….the cried out to him a little too late to
help them. He said the trumpet had already sounded for the enemy to come and
deliver their punishment. Their cry for help was empty…a last effort to stay
unaffected by the enemy God had sent to punish them.
They cried out with empty hearts…wanting their cake and eating it too. They wanted God to rescue them…and leave them
the way they were living. They wanted
God’s protection…but they did not want to follow his rules. They applied God’s rules to everyone but
themselves. They called out to God to ease their pain…without letting God’s
love change their heart and life.
God allows pain in our lives to remind us that he is there to be our
comfort. We can cry out to him in selfishness …just to ease our pain. But what God really wants is for the pain to
bring us closer to him. He wants the
pain we have felt to be a reminder that God is the giver and taker of any
blessing. He wants to soften our hearts
so that his love can take root and grow a bigger blessing than we ever imagined
on our own.
It is so very hard to explain what happens to your heart when you
experience real pain from loss or tragedy. A hole is formed so big you think
you will die from the emptiness it creates. You can fill it temporarily with
things…..food…computer games…..cars…clothes….or even shopping. But the hole
will never be filled until you ask God with all your heart to help you
understand the purpose in your pain…and begin to fill it with his words and
prayer for growth closer to him.
Something amazing will happen.
You will want to do something so unreal to the human flesh that tried to
trap you inside that emptiness. You will
become so in love with God that you can’t get enough of his Bible in your
heart. You will want to be in the
fellowship of believers and worship as much as you can. You will be driven to search more and more for
God…instead of thinking of ways to get by with less of him.
Father…thank you for the reminder that to ease the pain of some of the
lessons you allow in my life I must draw closer to you for comfort and
understanding. Forgive me for the days I get lost in my pain and forget that
you are there to help me past the pity I feel. Help me to keep a light on in my
heart….to remind me that you are there 24/7 if I need you. Remind me more often to look in the Bible for
the answers to my questions…and pray even harder for you to show me the purpose
in the pain I have felt. Amen.
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