The Book of Hosea

I want to start reading my Bible more. More often. More indepth. More intentionally. With more attentiveness to the Holy Spirit and the understanding that He allows me. I just need more Jesus. I need reckless abandonment to Him. I need to quit caring so much what others think. I think sometimes I feel torn. My inclination to impress tends to strip me of the raw joy of being me. I can not be exactly who (I think) my mom wants me to be (nor do I want to be exactly that). I can not be exactly who (I think) my supervisor wants me to be. I think that so many times, people live their lives wanting to CONTROL others' lives instead of inspire them to become who Christ purchased the freedom for them to be.

... And this jumbled thought process is what brought the prophet Hosea to mind. Hosea was a man who loved the Lord, and the Lord asked to marry a prostitute. I think that the stand out part of all of this to me is that Hosea did not feel the need to give his input on everything that was happening, he was just obedient to the Lord. Oh, if my soul had a grain of the obedience of Hosea. To read and know the Word and practice it with reckless abandonment. What a scary life change! Lord, help me as I journey closer to your heart.

Join me if you wish as I record my journey through Hosea. Today's stop: Hosea 1
This is how the story goes...
- God told Hosea to take a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom.
- Hosea did.
- He and his wife, Gomer, had a son.
- God said to name him Jezreel because He was going to break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.
- Hosea and Gomer had a daughter.
- God said to name her 'No Mercy' because He would have no mercy any longer on Israel.
- They have another child, a boy named 'Not My People', because Israel was "not My people, and I am not your God"

Oh goodness. So if I was Hosea, I would probably be thinking "what the heck, God? Not only am I called to marry a prostitute, but also called to have children with her. And these children that are my offspring and that I care about, you want me to name Jezreel, No Mercy, and Not My People... because You are angry with Israel?" And probably more than anything I would probably be thinking "Why me? What about me?"

He didn't though. He just did what God asked of him. Clearly, Hosea trusted God. Clearly, Hosea cared more about the Lord's message than his own. He was completely God-focused, just as Christ on the cross "Not my will but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Oh to have that heart. I think the first step to having that heart is knowing God's perfectness and His heart toward me. Which is exactly why I am excited about continuing to journey through the book of Hosea, because it's all about the depth of God's love for His people.

I think so many times it's easy to think that God's best for our lives is exactly what our perfect fairy tale would look like. But maybe His best for us is more about what's best for our relationship with Him and His ministry than about our perceived road to happiness. And so let's find the joy in where we are because we are where we are for a reason, to do His Will. Maybe His best for us is Him letting us play a part in something greater than we can even conceive. Perhaps instead of thinking we know what's best for us, we can learn to recklessly abandon ourselves to the Lordship of Christ and trust that as Psalm 16:11 promises, "You will make known to me the path of life, You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand".

What a beautiful God we serve. Lord, give me the faith to trust. Sing songs of Your love and deliverance over me. May Your perfect love cast out all fear as I learn to trust You in ways that are uncomfortable.