Watchmen of the Wall

Are you a runaway, or are you at home?

" Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten and he will bind us up. 2.) After two days he will revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." (Hosea 6:1-2)

The thought that weighs on my heart this morning is one of gladness. One of thankfulness and appreciation, for I am at home now, but have been found more than once to be a runaway.

This is what I mean by runaway. Have you ever been so deep into the things of God that you didn’t think you could get any closer to him? Things are going great and blessings are flowing. Then all of a sudden you are finding that God is on the back burner and His word and will are not of interest to you. The world becomes enticing and what it has to offer slowly creeps back in one little piece at a time, until you are stagnate and cold. You feel like something is missing in your heart, and deep within you know what it is, but having come from the closeness that you once felt, and the rightness with God that once was there, you don’t admit it. You are now a runaway. Like the prodigal son, you have left the splendor of your father’s house, and with out realizing what you were doing, you are now sitting in a pig pen.

Friend let me express to you that I have been in that pig pen and I am so thankful that I serve a God of restoration.

In the book of Hosea, we find two parallel examples of our tendencies as God’s children to stray, and His ongoing mercy and grace to restore us to our rightful place when we realize that it’s in the pig pen we stand. Here we find not only the example of Israel doing what they do best in the Old Testament and turning from God, but we have an example on a smaller level. The story of one man and the woman he came to love.

God spoke to Hosea and commanded him to take a wife of whoredoms. He not only commanded him to take this type of wife, but commanded him to bare children with her. Why? God says because “the land has committed great whoredome, departing from the Lord."

Many times Gomer (the wife of whoredomes) can be found running away from home, her marriage, and her children, to take part in the life she knew before. And always, Hosea would find her, and bring her home. Hosea grew to love this woman no matter what she did. Just as God, no matter the act, could be found expressing His love for His children and restoring the house of Israel once again. Eventually Gomer came to her senses and realized that it was not the life she lived before that gave her peace and contentment, but the life she lived with her husband, Hosea.

I wonder if we were to take inventory this morning, would we be at home with the Father? Would we be where we know that He would have us to be? Or would we find our selves as a runaway having strayed from God? Friend, wherever you are today be thankful. If you are wrapped up in His love and secure in the fact that you know you are where you are suppose to be, rejoice. If you are finding the more you read, the more uncomfortable you are with the place you are in right now, rejoice. That’s right, I said rejoice.

As I stated above, we serve a God of restoration. Just as the prodigal’s father ran to meet his runaway son with open arms, so will our Father run to meet you with open arms. Hosea 14:4 says “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned from Him.” I beg you dear one, if you are a runaway, don’t waste another minuet in this world trying to pacify yourself and fill a void that only God can fill. You can be complete today. You can be made whole. Come home to where you belong. He’s waiting at the door for you.

Father, I admit to you today that I am far from home. I feel like I’m lost and empty and I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’ve failed you. But I am ready to come home. I am ready for you to take me back in, clean me up, & set me upright and on my feet where I belong. Forgive me for straying so far from you, and help me always to remember under your wing is where I belong. In Jesus name. Amen.