What a Long-Suffering and Gracious and Restorative God we Each Pray To. Hosea 6:1-3

Hosea 6:1-3 shares of Israel’s desire to return from their misery and repent from their sin.

The Israelites didn’t realize the impact and consequences of their sin, but recognized no matter how far they strayed God was the one who would heal and restore them.

Hosea 6:3 says, “Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”

In verse 3 the Israelites pressed into acknowledging the Lord.

They had the same assurance that you and I can have; just as the sun appears every morning,

God always does too.

Despite how far and wide you or I have strayed, God will authentically respond to you as you seek Him.

Hosea 6:1-3 New King James Version

A Call to Repentance

6 Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will ^[a]bind us up.
²After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
³Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established as the morning;
He will come to us like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

What A Long-Suffering And Gracious God We Have

God rebuked the people of Israel for their apostasy and idolatry, pronouncing a severe judgement upon them and causing Amos the prophet to mourn that His people were destroyed for lack of knowledge of the God of Israel, while He also is bewailing their marked and severe disinterest in the God of their salvation.

And yet the stark and serious warning broke into a comforting song of hope, that one day God would return, revive and restore His erring nation and pour out His blessings upon them like dew onto a parched desert, or as the spring showers falling over a hot and dry and dusty and thirsty land. (Psalm 63:1-2)

God knows that the disobedient Israel will one day return to His open arms of love, for they are all like a flock of straying sheep without a shepherd and the wounds and pain that have been inflicted due to the centuries of idolatry and apostasy will be over, when they come to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, Savior.

And He will bind up their wounds, mend the broken-hearted, with His soothing ointment and He will anoint their nation with the oil of gladness, when they call on the name of the Lord and recognize their God and Savior – for then they will look upon Him Whom they have pierced – whom they have crucified and buried.

His dealings with Israel is a great comfort to all of God’s children, for we know that despite the times when we also wander away from the Lord; getting swept into worldly ways or adopting a careless attitude, His initial response may well be discipline or chastisement, but He is also long-suffering towards us, even when we stray from His path of righteousness and follow our own foolish ways.

What a long-suffering and gracious God we have – for as He has dealt wisely with us, will continue in that wisdom, in grace, truth toward His erring nation.

So will Deal deal with Christians who have wandered far from His outstretched arms of love and truth or when faith wears thin and life seems too much to bear.

No matter how far any of us have strayed, His long standing promises to the church are as sure and praise-worthy, His promises to Israel. His chastening rod may hurt or wound us, but His promise of grace will truly help and heal.

Prayer for Restoration – Our Daily Prayer Unto God

6 ^1-3“Come on, let’s go back to God.
    He hurt us, but he’ll heal us.
He hit us hard,
    but he’ll put us right again.
In a couple of days we’ll feel better.
    By the third day he’ll have made us brand-new,
Alive and on our feet,
    fit to face him.
We’re ready to study God,
    eager for God-knowledge.
As sure as dawn breaks,
    so sure is his daily arrival.
He comes as rain comes,
    as spring rain refreshing the ground.” (Hosea 6, The Message)

The exact moment sin reared its impossibly hideous, ugly head, in the form of a snake, in the garden of Eden in Genesis 3, brokenness likewise entered the scene.

Undoubtedly, we live in a broken world filled to overflowing of broken systems, overwhelmingly stressful situations, and people who could care less about God.

Sin leaves a vast ripple effect that continues year after year, generation after generation. It affects every individual. You cannot walk through life unscathed.

This is no different for Christians as it is for non-Christians.

Matthew 5:45 says, “…He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Just because we are Christians does not and never will mean we are exempt from trials of all degrees and heartaches of every measure known but to God.

Sometimes with and without awareness, we have chosen a destructive path.

Other times, God makes us dwell in darkness (Lamentations 3:4-6 The Message).

^4-6He turned me into a skeleton
    of skin and bones, then broke the bones.
He hemmed me in, ganged up on me,
    poured on the trouble and hard times.
He locked me up in deep darkness,
    like a corpse nailed inside a coffin.

It’s not uncommon to forget God can still restore us when we are in the muck and the mire of a trial – our situations sometimes cloud our view of all God is.

I don’t know what you, the reader of this devotion may be facing today, but I want to remind you the truth is God is still in the business of restoring!

He can still restore a broken relationship, shattered marriage, limp bodies, prodigal child, special needs children, tattered hearts, and scrambled minds.

With frustrated man, frustrated women, frustrated humanity, it is impossible to restore such as those, but with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Truth is God does not always restore the things we have in mind the way we have that restoration all acceptably socially, culturally, politically defined.

Instead, God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit restores our peace, joy, hope, and contentment, despite our uncertain situations – regardless of what ways and means our God chooses, He still redeems, repairs, restores, resurrects!

In addition to this, let us please never forget God always has the very final say.

By His Sovereign Will,

By God’s own Authority,

By God’s own Power,

Let it now be our declaration that no matter what threatens our souls,

We have the faith that according to the truths revealed in the Word of God,

When God speaks, Pharaoh relents, the chariots disappear beneath the waves and the storm is compelled to be silent, the seas will part for His Children, the lame are healed, the crippled will walk, the deaf will hear, and the will blind see.

He has the authority over everything because He is the creator of all things.

If we are going through a tough season, keep pouring your heart out to God.

He is not weary of your tears.

He will not grow weary of your tears.

In fact God will collect your tears and reveal them to you at the suitable time.

Psalm 56:8 The Message

⁸You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn
through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger,
each ache written in your book.

He knows the words you cannot seem to utter.

He sees the pain no one else can see.

But also please remember to remind yourself God can still do exceedingly and abundantly more than you can ever ask, do, or ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Psalm 56 The Message

56 ^1-4Take my side, God—I’m getting kicked around,
    stomped on every day.
Not a day goes by
    but somebody beats me up;
They make it their duty
    to beat me up.
When I get really afraid
    I come to you in trust.
I’m proud to praise God;
    fearless now, I trust in God.
    What can mere mortals do?

^5-6They don’t let up—
    they smear my reputation
    and huddle to plot my collapse.
They gang up,
    sneak together through the alleys
To take me by surprise,
    wait their chance to get me.

⁷Pay them back in evil!
Get angry, God!
Down with these people!

⁸You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn
through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger,
each ache written in your book.

⁹If my enemies run away,
turn tail when I yell at them,
Then I’ll know
that God is on my side.

^10-11I’m proud to praise God,
proud to praise God.
Fearless now, I trust in God;
what can mere mortals do to me?

^12-13God, you did everything you promised,
    and I’m thanking you with all my heart.
You pulled me from the brink of death,
    my feet from the cliff-edge of doom.
Now I stroll at leisure with God
    in the sunlit fields of life.

Creator, Father, I ask You for a fresh vision for what breakthrough will look like in my life. Help me to pursue healing while I wait for my miracle. Show me how to rest right in the middle of the storm. Help me to enjoy the feast You prepare for me, right in the middle of the raging battlefield. I want my whole life to testify that there’s a God in heaven who knows my name and who will get me safely home. Fill me afresh with the wonder of Your long-suffering love and indomitable power. I am so very determined to win this battle with fear and anxiety. Help me to discern when to rest, when to feast, and how to actively engage my faith as I wait for You to breakthrough. May my life display Your power. Do the impossible in and through me, I pray. Amen.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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When is our very last prayer spoken? Another Word about Self-Reflections and Confession | Prophet Joel 2:12-14

The prophet Joel had a broken heart, troubled soul, for the people of his day.

They had gone far too long with their hearts turned away from God. God had sent judgment on them and continued to do so until they turned back to Him.

The word that is used to describe their turning back to Him is repentance. It is a “turning away from something, a changing of directions.” Many times, in our walk with God we ask for forgiveness, but we don’t repent. We do not turn away from the sin. We ask God to forgive us, but we do not turn from our sin. Our God wants our whole hearts to be turned from their sin and to be turned to Him. The people had gotten away from God and God is asking them to return to Him with fasting and weeping and mourning. They should be broken because of their sin.

Joel 2:12-14 New American Standard Bible

¹²“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping, and mourning;
¹³And tear your heart and not merely your garments.”
Now return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in mercy
And relenting of catastrophe.
¹⁴Who knows, He might turn and relent,
And leave a blessing behind Him,
Resulting in a grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God.

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

We have all had moments when we became angry. A lot has been said about driving lately, but many things can push us towards this emotion. At work, we might experience something that isn’t justified, and we get angry. At home one of our children or our spouse might say something that, while true, hurts and causes anger. Or perhaps a friend misses a get-together with us, and we are angry. Perhaps this has happened between you and God. You wanted something to go one way, and it went a different way, and anger at God was the result.

While our anger may seem justified, in the end what does it hide? This emotion can really put some major blinders on us and cause us to miss out on something indescribably exciting and special which God’s planned for us. While we are in this emotional condition, we just might not see, hear, or otherwise experience something good for us. More than likely, we’ve all had this experience. It’s as if our anger has closed our senses off to life and we became focused on its cause.

Perhaps today, even today, try stopping, consider taking another approach, consider staying a little longer in an attitude of prayer, reflecting on the times when you have been angry in the last few days, and confessing them to Jesus.

Throughout your time of self-reflection, confession, recite the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” My hope for you is that this time will be uplifting and will give you freedom! Then, as you go through your day, and that feeling begins to come, focus on what we read in Philippians 4:8, and change your focus from anger to what’s given in the passage of Joel.

⁸Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is ^[a]lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything, worthy of praise, think about these things.

God only wants to make our hearts whole

Yes! We can absolutely trust God with our whole hearts. Joel writes: “He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

Abounding in steadfast love – When I hear that phrase, I picture overflowing love that floods out from our God, envelops and surrounds and covers us.

That is the God we serve. One who slows His anger, embraces and heals hearts.

Joel chapter 2, Verse 13 is such an encouragement.

We are to have a broken heart on the inside. God doesn’t want us to appear broken and put on some sort of show, but He wants us to have a broken heart. The encouraging thing is that we can turn back to Him and that He is gracious and compassionate. He is not sitting there waiting for us to return to Him so that He can make our lives miserable. He is so gracious and compassionate.

When we turn back to Him and turn away from our sin, His love for us is so incredible. As Joel says in verse 14, “who knows…He may leave behind a blessing.” What a great thought. We can turn from our sin and turn back to our loving God, and He might even bless our lives for that! God wants to bless us. God wants to do amazing things in our lives. Sometimes, we have to turn from our sin and turn our hearts back to Him and allow Him to be God in our lives.

Spend some quality time reflecting back up on yourself in prayer and ask God if there are things in your life you need to repent from. (Psalm 51 and 139:23-24)
Priorities? Have you started chasing after sin and stopped chasing after God?
Change Directions? Do you need to return back to God with all of your heart?

Today, try to make it your practice to keep your eyes open to things in your life that have caused you to turn away from God and to look for ways to turn your heart and your soul and your strengths back to Him. Repent. He is gracious!! Repent. He is slow to anger!! Repent. He is abounding in His steadfast mercy!!

Come to the Well where the Waters of God’s Life wait to refresh, restore you.

Leave behind what absolutely needs to be left behind at the foot of the Well.

Then turn around. Leave it all behind!! Leave it all behind!! Leave it all behind!!