Sunday, March 13, 2011
END TIMES READING PLAN: Isaiah 41-42
SCRIPTURE READING
Hosea 2:19-20 “ I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving-kindness and mercy; 20I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the LORD. (NKJV)
There are a few significant points to meditate on in this passage of Scripture. It is God who is speaking and acting here, He wants to marry His people, not just forgive them and use them. Think about this for a moment, it’s not gross, it’s not weird, He strategically uses the word betroth to represent the relationship He wants with us. Even though we are weak, feeble and broken, He wants to be in a relationship with us. This relationship isn’t just temporary, it’s an eternal relationship; he says “I will betroth you FOREVER, it’s settled, it’s not in the balance, and it’s final and cannot be turned back. The nature of the marriage relationship is “in righteousness” which speaks of emotional wholeness. Our God is offering us emotional wholeness; we do not need to settle for brokenness. In His mercy, He does not disqualify us because of our past sins and failures, He is faithful and true to us. His goal is intimacy with His people forever, He says: “You shall know the Lord”. God is offering this to each one of us, He is gently reaching out His hand towards you right now and offering this to you. He will not force you into the betrothal; it’s up to you to say “yes”.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Ask God to show you an area in your life where you have settled for brokenness, an area where He wants to give you emotional wholeness. Ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse that area and show you steps you can take to live out the wholeness that He is offering to you.
2. Are you willing to take His hand and accept the betrothal that He is offering you? If you are, pray a prayer of commitment to Him.
3. Spend some time praising God for the eternal relationship that has been settled between you and Him! Thank Him for His mercy in not disqualifying you because of your sins and past failures.
