Still Pursuing

The Word keeps amazing me and fascinating me. I see something new like I'm seeing it for the first time so very often. If you love literature, then you can appreciate how you can thumb through the pages of the Bible and find whatever theme you're looking for: romance, war, redemption, drama, suspense, action, poetry, etc. Well today I was drawn into one of the many accounts of the greatest love story ever told.

The heading over Hosea, chapter 11, in my NIV Study Bible reads, "God's Love for Israel". The chapter starts out recounting how the Lord deeply loved, nurtured, and called out to Israel since the nation was young. But the people of Israel seem determined to run from Him. Although their actions deserved much punishment, the Lord responds with mercy in verse 8: "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?...My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused." In Chapter 2, we see similar language: "Therefore I am going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her...In that day," declares the Lord, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.'"

This language speaks of a father, of a lover, who can't help but follow the longings of his heart. Even though His beloved has turned their back on Him time and again, the Lord STILL pursues; He is STILL ready for his people to turn and embrace Him.

That's the love that your Creator has for you. A love so crazy that He doesn't care how long you have run from him, or how hard you've run in the other direction; He is waiting with open arms and eyes of adoration. His heart longs for you.

When you consider all that we've done to put distance between ourselves and God it is incredible that He still wants us, and is so close. Just like the people of Israel we read about in Hosea, we have prostituted ourselves and forgotten where the goodness of life comes from. We have chosen to embrace things other than the One we have been sworn to. But His love looks past our infidelity; He sees us as who He made us to be, not as who we've made ourselves out to be.

Turn and see how close He still is. See the grace in His eyes and find your identity in the name He gives you. His love never fails, and there is nothing you can do to earn it--just let His mind-blowing love envelop you and forever change the cadence of your heartbeat. Amen.