HEAR the Word Wednesday
“Come, let us return to the LORD;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD…”
Hosea 6:1-3a
These few short verses at the beginning of the sixth chapter of Hosea are so rich with meaning. I am not going to pretend that I have anywhere near a comprehensive understanding of what all is being said within them, but no doubt, they are worth exploring and learning from! As sinners we wander from God (Isaiah 53:6) and here comes the call to return to the Lord. Our lives are torn and rampaged – they fall short of the “perfect life” that we have envisioned for ourselves. We fail, we lose friends, we don’t get the job, we lack – He has torn us – but in so doing His promise is to heal us.
I must admit that I struggle a bit with the concept of God tearing us that He may heal us, but I do know that our Creator God is Sovereign. He is Omniscient. Outside the realm of time, God knows all, and is faithful to work for the good (Romans 8:28) that ultimately only He can fully know because He is not constrained by time as we are. He can see all things as they have been, are, and will be, and has complete knowledge and power to work things for His glory. In this there is comfort knowing that He will heal us.
Then there is the call to know, to press on to know the Lord. It is worth noting that we must press on to know the Lord. Knowledge of God does not come easily. It comes through a dedicated pursuit, and often comes after brokeness – being torn, struck down – then once we are healed and raised up, if we choose to seek God’s wisdom as it relates to our brokeness, we can learn from these experiences (Philipians 3:8). But we must press on to know Him, that is our call, that is what gives us life. For when we know God, when we truly know Him and the gift of His Son, we cannot help but walk according to His purpose, constantly returning to the Lord when we stray, but living only to know and glorify Him.
I pray that we all would spur eachother on to return to the Lord, to let Him heal, revive and raise us up, and in the midst of all this to press on to know the Lord, always.
Blessings,
Claudia
