Paradoxical Love

“Then I will heal you of your faithLESSness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever." -Hosea 14:4 (emphasis added)

I love the book of Hosea because it's about God's relentless pursuit of an unfaithful people...it's a beautifully humbling picture of Him and us. //

Have you fully grasped that? Do you really know what that means?

Think about this: It's easy to pursue a friendship or relationship with someone who's nice to you- someone who talks to you, respects you, and WANTS to mutually get to know you, right?  But can you imagine pursuing a relationship (friendship or otherwise) where the other person constantly ignores you, blatantly disrespects you, and turns away completely away from you? Most of us wouldn't put up with that for very long- and rightfully so. 

Moreover, the picture portrayed in Hosea takes that idea to a whole new level. Listen to this, Hosea was a prophet who was a godly, upright, and righteous man whom God instructed to.... intentionally pursue and marry a prostitute. 

She continued to be unfaithful....yet Hosea was always faithful. In our mind that sounds crazy- like who would do that? I can only imagine if this was a chick flick, we would be frantically yelling at the screen "HOSEA WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? YOU DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER! REALLY!?" 

We may even be dissatisfied with the ending (kind of like La La Land), thinking that He should of ended up with the girl who was truly better for Him.....anyone but the prostitute.

But you guys. That's the point. 

We are the prostitute.

It's a beautiful story because it helps us wrap our mind around Gods love for us. We don't deserve it one bit. We are rebels. We are constantly unfaithful. YET amidst all that, God chooses to chase us down while we are in that place of rebellion, because of His deep, deep love for us. He wants us. While we are hating Him and wanting nothing to do with Him, His love is constant. 

It doesn't make sense. Yet it's true- for all of us. So today, know that no matter what you've done in your past, no matter how stained you feel you are, you are fiercely loved by the King of Universe who deeply treasures your heart and wants to know you intimately. There is nothing you could ever DO that would change His love for you. It is constant, and it is relentless, and He is constantly calling you to come to Him. As you go about your day and this week, may you walk in that truth! 💕

p.s. If you want to read a REALLY great fiction story based on the book of Hosea, check out "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers- it's a super great read and helps to better understand this story in a whole new way.