As I sit in the stillness of this dark room, while people are soundly dreaming away, I can't help but be so completely fascinated by the Lord. Tonight is one of those nights where I sit and bask in His glorifying presence. It's a night where I feel nothing but the abounding love of the lamb and the comforting hands of a father. Lately I have been asking Him, asking Him to simply be present. "Move me, Lord. Reveal to me You and only You, Lord." Through words of such powerful intimacy, I am greeted by the King. I am held by the one Most High. Within Hosea He portrayed an image of His perfect, unconditional love for me and for you. Even with the fanciest of words, I still can't paint a picture of how truly fascinating He is. The only thing that can even come close is the word itself:
"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. When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.' O Israel, I will wipe the many names of Baal from your lips, and you will never mention them again. On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord. “In that day, I will answer,” says the Lord. “I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds. And the sky will answer the earth with rain. Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees. And they in turn will answer, ‘Jezreel’—‘God plants!’ At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites and raise them for myself. I will show love to those I called ‘Not loved. And to those I called ‘Not my people,’ I will say, ‘Now you are my people.’ And they will reply, ‘You are our God!’" -Hosea 2:14-23
What beauty. My goodness, my heart jumps for pure joy when I read this. In the previous lines before this, it described Israel as a prostitute, and adulterer of her beloved. Yet in these lines God is showing Israel His love for her, even through her betrayal of Him. When I have forsaken my Beloved, when I have mocked the name of Christ, I remember His passion for me, His love FOR ME. How undeserving I am of it! How lightly I take His love and His mercies. How foolish I am to even think for a second that I am of importance. But then I remember His love for Israel, His love for His chosen one; I am the chosen one, just as Israel was. For He sat upon that Cross and died for my life.
If there's something I could read every single day of my life, it would be this; a story of passion, of promises, and of rescuing. I have been rescued. But it is not over, everyday I am rescued from myself. Everyday I am rescued from the destruction of sin. I have been taken back by my Beloved, my Father. I have been received, and I am never letting go.