Wednesday, April 22, 2020 Devotional
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and 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 before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth."
Hosea 6:1-3 ESV
Hosea spoke at a time when disaster after disaster threatened Israel. The nation as a whole had turned their back on God and His Word. After many warnings and calls to repentance, God had resorted to these tragic events to get their attention, but they still weren’t listening! When God’s prophets tried to point out what was happening, the people mocked them and tried to silence them.
Hosea makes a final plea as God’s prophetic voice: “Come, let us return to the Lord...” But still the people hardened their hearts and continued in their wickedness, and the Assyrians were called in to destroy Israel.
We are in a similar situation today. Blow after blow has shaken us in recent years but we as a nation - in fact as an entire “post-Christian” western culture - have not wanted to hear. Any suggestion that God may be lovingly calling us to repentance is met with scorn, mockery, and attempts to silence the messenger.
Come, let us return to the Lord!
Lord God, you have seen how we have rejected your Word and tried to replace it with our own “ethical“ standards. We have gone after gods of pleasure that wink at immoral behavior and call it love, that promote murder and call it equality.
Lord God, forgive us! Awaken our hearts to respond to your gracious call. Give us a heart to return to You so that You can heal us.
Pastor Dan Giles