Come and Return预览

Day 5: Come and Return

God is so gracious. Because of Israel's idolatry and apostasy, God pronounced discipline on the people, saying He would leave them alone. One of the greatest judgments God can inflict on any person is to let them go their own way.

Remember that Gomer did not simply walk away, nor was she seduced by surprise. She pursued other lovers.

But the stern warning turned into a song of hope that one day God would return, revive, and restore the sinful nation and shower His blessings upon it, like dew upon a barren desert, like spring showers upon a trampled land.

God does not give up on people easily.

Hosea says:

Come and let us return to the Lord!

Like other humble Old Testament prophets, he refused to separate himself from the plight of the people—a sign of a true leader. God does not knock us down so that we can suffer forever. He tears us apart so that we can be rebuilt and fully healed. He strikes us not out of anger but because He wants to bandage us with His holy balm. It is a loving correction, not an angry one.

Despite the times when we, too, have strayed from the Lord and been drawn into worldly paths, God's initial response may well be discipline, but He is also patient with us, even when we stray from His path of righteousness and follow our own foolish ways.

Jesus wants us to have knowledge and understanding – God’s YADA, to know and be known. But we often betray His love for cheap substitutes. Food, money, entertainment, work, sex, romance, anxiety, and slander are examples of modern idols that fight for our hearts. God knows that if you pursue this, you will perish. He desires to be your complete satisfaction and for you to experience deep closeness with Him.

Sometimes, the return we need to do is a simple confession of loss of focus, lack of acknowledgment, gratitude, or love. Other times, it's a complete 180-degree change of direction.

No matter how far any of us have strayed, His promises to us are as sure as His promises to Israel. His rod of chastisement may bruise or hurt us, but His promise of grace will lift us up and heal us.

My Prayer:

Father, I need to come back to You. I am torn, and I want not only my healing but my family's healing. Teach me humility, holiness, and forgiveness. Forgive me. I see the stones I throw. I bring these stones to the altar – to surrender to the Lord and receive love from You. Holy Spirit, show me how I should return to God. I know there is anguish and sadness in You when I sin. My love for the Lord is inconsistent. I am very grateful for the cross that Jesus bore. The standard is the cross, and no matter what I do, I will never deserve that grace. So I thank You from the bottom of my heart forever. In the name of Jesus, Amen.