Today is August 4th

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from the book of Hosea, chapter 2.

15 There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will respond as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
16 “In that day,” declares the LORD,
“you will call me ‘my husband’;
you will no longer call me ‘my master.’
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;
no longer will their names be invoked.
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the creatures that move along the ground.
Bow and sword and battle
I will abolish from the land,
so that all may lie down in safety.
19 I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
20 I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the LORD.
21 “In that day I will respond,”
declares the LORD—
“I will respond to the skies,
and they will respond to the earth;
22 and the earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine and the olive oil,
and they will respond to Jezreel.
23 I will plant her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’;
and they will say, ‘You are my God.’

One of the ways to think about the story of the Bible is to think about a story of a troubled marriage. God had made a covenant with the people of Israel and described that covenant as something akin to a marriage covenant. And like every marriage it started with a honeymoon phase. And like every marriage things became difficult at a certain point. And in this case it became seemingly impossible to continue because Israel became so unfaithful. Israel’s heart for God, her heart for the relationship was gone. Reflect for a moment on where your heart with God is? How would you describe your relationship with God?

In the story of Hosea, God’s response is so different than our human inclination. He says, “No matter how cold your heart is toward me, I’m not going to stop loving you. Even though you have left me, I’m going to wait for you.” As you hear the passage again, consider the unbelievable faithfulness of God toward you, that no matter how warm or cold the state of your heart or how strong or poor your relationship is, he is faithful to you.

Consider the end of the story. The end of the story is a marriage made new, a love made new. God is preparing his bride, the body of Christ. And one day, you and I will experience the fulness and rightness of love as it was meant to be. As we close our time of prayer, ask God to fill your heart with a love that anticipates that day.

Music Credit:
Reckless Love - Vineyard Soul (YouTube)