My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27.

Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again…You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. Psalm 71:20-21.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights. Habakkuk 3:19.

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NKJV.

I loved this in My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers: ““Indeed the hour is coming…that you will be scattered.” John 16:32. Jesus was not rebuking the disciples in this passage. Their faith was real, but it was disordered and unfocused, and was not at work in the important realities of life. The disciples were scattered to their own concerns and they had interests apart from Jesus Christ. After we have the perfect relationship with God, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, our faith must be exercised in the realities of everyday life. We will be scattered, not into service but into the emptiness of our lives where we will see ruin and barrenness, to know what internal death to God’s blessings means. Are we prepared for this? It is certainly not of our own choosing, but God engineers our circumstances to take us there. Until we have been through that experience, our faith is sustained only by feelings and by blessings. But once we get there, no matter where God may place us or what inner emptiness we experience, we can praise God that all is well. That is what is meant by faith being exercised in the realities of life. “You…will leave Me alone.” Have we been scattered and have we left Jesus alone by not seeing His providential care for us? Do we not see God at work in our circumstances? Dark times are allowed and come to us through the sovereignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do what He wants with us? Are we prepared to be separated from the outward, evident blessings of God? Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry. If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in His blessings, instead of in God Himself. The sense of God’s blessings is fundamental. “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Unyielding spiritual fortitude is what we need.”

And our chapter, Hosea 3, shows the barrenness of the life Gomer chose finally leading to becoming enslaved, and the barrenness of Israel and of us when we look to others and not to Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. A short chapter showing God’s love and concern for Gomer, for Israel, for us. The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.” For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to His blessings in the last days.

This morning in our Friday Zoom Retreat, we took time to share with one another those things, blessings and/or concerns, that were closest to our hearts. And after each sharing, someone volunteered to pray for them. And being with these beautiful, amazing, vulnerable, imperfect people who love Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, a deep need was nourished. Our deepest need for Creator God who loves us. And when words won’t come because we don’t know what words to say, the Holy Spirit is here. He goes before us, behind us and with us…and not just for me or you, but for all of us. How…we…each…of…us…need God! In the notes below our chapter it said Gomer is not mentioned again in this book of Hosea. An adulterous woman who had to be bought back by her husband because God loves her. Israel will be bought back again because God loves her. We will be bought back again because God loves us. That is our walk with God. To understand, through the vast, deep realities of everyday life…tragic, inspiring, difficult, wondrous…that we are loved by a Creator God so generous, nothing can separate us from Him. And as we find people who love Him as much as we do, our hearts are lifted; and worries and burdens, joys and accomplishments are shared. Are you prepared? My greatest worries are for what I am not prepared for. And in my walk with Him, shared with others, He shows us how much we are loved and cherished and He is not in a hurry. He doesn’t need to be. He is Almighty, Sovereign, Creator God! He has us! And all is well – because we are in God Himself who loves us!