OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE DESERT TO THE PROMISED LAND!

"I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of Hope." Hosea 2:14-15

This scripture comes from the book of Hosea and the title above the scripture is "The Lord's Love for Unfaithful Israel". This morning as I read over this again, it made me think of how often I have been the unfaithful one. How many times have I failed the Lord? How many times have I doubted His love for me? How many times have I questioned His path for my life? How many times have I walked away in anger and frustration instead of full surrender to His plans? "The Lord's Love for the Unfaithful Beth!" How much does He love me?

It states in my notes that the Israelites were so immersed in idolatry that they actually believed pagan gods gave them their vineyards and orchards. They had forgotten that the entire land was actually a gift to them from God. They worshipped Baal, a  Canaanite god, instead of getting rid of the idols and pagan worship centers that God commanded them to do. They were disobedient and unfaithful to the Lord. How many of us are disobedient and unfaithful to the Lord?

In verses 14-15, God says....

" But then, I will win her back once again.

I will lead her into the desert and speak

tenderly to her there.

I will return her vineyards to her

and transform the Valley of Trouble into a

gateway of hope.

She will give herself to me there,

as she did long ago when she was young,

when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt."



Our Heavenly Father is a God who pursues us! I love the first line, as it truly speaks to my heart today, because it reminds me that He is pursuing me even when I am running away. Even when we feel like we are off His path, He continues to want to win  our hearts back to Him. He wants us to come sit on his lap and spend time with us. He doesn't want to be a distant God! He wants a deep, intimate relationship with us.

The next line tells us that He leads us into the desert. This goes back to the seventh statement where it says that He takes us to the desert for a time of rest. Here, He leads us into the desert...why does He do that? He does it because he wants us to be in a place where there are no distractions where we will be totally focused on Him! In a desert, there is no where to turn! Do you ever feel that way here? He wants us to come to Him so that He can speak tenderly to your heart! I love this statement. I have always viewed God as a God who condemns and who is angry and frustrated with me all the time. But, this verse says that He wants to speak tenderly to me. He doesn't want to condemn us! He wants to teach us and help us to see His love, His grace, His mercy, His compassion, His comfort, His peace! He wants us to trust in Him and allow Him to direct our paths. He wants all of us to stop trying so hard! I can hear him now..." Beth, just come sit on my lap so I can speak tenderly to you, my daughter!"

The next part says " I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of Hope"....The Valley of Trouble is where Achan had sinned by keeping the forbidden war plunder that God told him not to take. The Lord is full of mercy and grace as He looks at the times of sin in our lives and still says " I will transform that time into a blessing of my hope....just come to me and let me transform you!" Isn't that so amazing? Even with our sin...He still loves us and He still wants to speak tenderly to us and help us be transformed.  

There is a something we need to do though...it isn't just God who is transforming us! We MUST give ourselves to Him! The next part of that verse says "She will give herself to me there as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt". Oh, Lord! I was just convicted as I wrote that down! I think God is using this blogging to do a work in me! .........long pause...............praying!

I have been in the desert many times!  At times, I felt like  I was doing a marathon out there in the dry and weary land! I kept looking for that water and feeling like He would never speak to me! But, when I finally surrendered to Him and put aside my pride and broke down my walls...he spoke tenderly to me with compassion and love! I have seen God's love and grace poured out on me over and over again! I have seen Him transform me from a broken vessel to a pot of clay able to be molded daily in surrender to Him. Sometimes, He begins to mold me into this tall beautiful vase and then I feel like He takes that piece of clay and smashes me back down, only to try again because I wasn't listening!

 He is at work still today! I must remember that He brought me out of captivity and into freedom...to experience the gateway of Hope! I must give myself to HIM...DAILY so that He may work in miraculous ways! He wants to use the Valley of Trouble ...to bring a Gateway of HOPE...to bring HIM Glory!

Take Him up on the FULL EXPERIENCE OF THE DESERT! 

He prepared a way out of captivity THROUGH the desert to the PROMISED LAND!