Read: Hosea 2:14-20
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. (v. 14)
When I was in second grade, a boy in my class swore he would hold his breath until the girl he liked said she liked him back. Fearfully watching as his face turned red, she blurted out, “OK! I like you!” Needless to say, that “relationship” didn’t last long.
In this beautiful passage in Hosea, we read that while God’s people chose to follow other gods, God did not give up on them. But rather than force them to love him, God says he will allure them and speak tenderly to them, giving them hope where there was none. Through this, God declares, they will one day call him “my husband” (v. 16). This is the promise of Christ. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, the curtain was torn between us and God. We are completely forgiven, our previous indiscretions forgotten. God has thrown wide the doors of hope, and we see that he is not a master demanding our love, but a patient God who seeks relationship with us. Relationship that is not forced upon us, but one that we desire because he has shown us the depth of his love through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Today, consider the patient love of God. He will not demand that you love him, but he is always calling to you, ready to welcome you into his open arms. —Kelly Slaybaugh
As you pray, thank our faithful God for his love. Ask him to help you love others the way he loves you.
About the Author
Kelly Slaybaugh lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina, is a student at Asbury Theological Seminary, and an “empty nester.” She loves connecting with God through nature and outdoor activities.
