- I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me. Hosea 5:15 – This chapter is an eye opener to the scary reality that is connected with a refusal to turn form our sin. God withdraws from us. Not in the sense that we may immediately think, for a God who is everywhere can’t suddenly not be around you. What this withdrawal means is that his Hand is temporarily removed. The hand that guides, the hand that protects from the enemy, the hand that provides blessing…is lifted for a time. We see over and over in scripture when God choose to lift His hand off His people chaos and distress followed. But was God’s heart for His people to be crushed and isolated from Him? Never, not even in the times when His hand was lifted. As we see in our verses above, the key word is “until.” God would step away until the His people realized the wrong of their sin and turned back to following Him. If the people wanted to sin and reject Him, He would let them, but they would face the results of that choice of a life without Him. Yet if they would see the folly of that choice and turn once again to the Lord, they would find Him ready to once again wrap them in His hands. Whether it’s with the people of God in Hosea’s day or even your own life, God’s purposes behind what He does is for us to always be drawing near to Him. We can choose the path after sin, and God will let us, but we’ll also be allowed to see the fruit of such a choice and it’s not good. Instead, learn from our past and learn from these scriptures. Reject the tempting path of sin that leads to our distress and lean in after the pursuit of God. Seek His face with all your heart and you will find Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2944
- When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound. (v.13) Turning back again to it won’t help. “It” is a very personal fill in the blank. For you IT could be finding yourself in a spiral of depression, isolating yourself from everything. Maybe IT is another relationship, shallow as always but temporarily giving you the fill you need. IT might be something you eat, put into your bloodstream, or watch alone. Like I said before IT is a very personal fill in the blank. Each one of us though has to fill in the blank. We are going to turn to ______ when the hurt of the world is too much; when we recognize the path we are on isn’t going to work out anymore. I would like to encourage a different “it,” rather a “who,” that can fill in that blank for you. Let God fill in your blank. When you’re hurt and broken, when you have seen the damage the choices of your life have caused, and the world isn’t at peace anymore in your story, let God be the one that you turn to. He is the only one that can heal your wound and cure you. Turning anywhere else is just going to infect the wound even more. It might dull the pain, but all you are doing is creating a deeper wound that will continue to fester until the true healing comes. When your story is more than you can handle, let God be the one that you turn to for healing. – Daily DEVO 28
- When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound. Hosea 5:13 – Don’t be distracted by the names, just look at what took place. People saw their hurt and they saw their need, so they went to another power other than God to help them. What then does God say will come about when they go to this “great king?” This king won’t be able to help them like they need. God wants you to know that the needs you have and the healing you desire can only be met in and through Him. Worldly things can provide temporary distractions from the pains, but God brings the restoration. Begin turning to God instead for help rather than anything else. Let’s God and what God has put in your life be what you use to meet those needs and desires you have in your story like nothing else can. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 555
- With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them. Hosea 5:6 – Doesn’t scripture say though when we seek God we’ll find Him? Why is that message not working for them? Notice though what Jeremiah 29:13 says. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Here they were seeking God not with a heart ready to repent but with flocks and herds. The sacrifice God wanted from them was for them to lay down their sinful ways once and for all and turn to a life of pursuing Him. What they though we’re giving to God was a sheep. Not even out of desire to please God but out of obligation and desperation. This is why God was not found by them, because they weren’t truly searching for Him with a heart that wanted to find Him. Know today if you truly want to seek and find the Lord you’ll find Him. Don’t let the passage we read make you think God is hidden from you and unreachable. If your heart is truly desiring a deeper knowledge of Him and you want to come to Him know you can be sure He will be found by you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac- Daily DEVO 1673
Daily DEVO 