It’s easy to sometimes think that God has forgotten us. Maybe the struggles you face are unending or too much to handle on your own; maybe you feel hopeless, overwhelmed, alone, and unimportant. Sometimes we sin and bring the trouble upon ourselves, but many times it has nothing to do with our choices. The fact that we live in a fallen world makes this life hard and burdensome, but you can find encouragement in the truth that Jesus said:
“…in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s great news! I need to know and remember that no matter what I face in this world, there is something more. There is a God that has already won!
Sometimes however, we can know that He has already overcome, but still have difficulty understanding why we’re suffering. Has God left us? Is He mad at us? If we’re doing all the right things, why would He allow us to go through difficult times?
As we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, the people in Hosea’s time had misunderstood God’s plan for their lives; they thought that their sacrifices and offerings were more important than loving, acknowledging, and obeying God. We have seen from Hosea’s prophesies that God was about to judge the Israelites, punish them, and remove them from their land. Does this mean that God had neglected and forgotten His people? As I thought about that this morning and how it relates to my own life, God led me to a passage of Scripture in Deuteronomy. Read it below along with a passage from Hosea 6, and think about the questions that follow:
“I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:3-4)
“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.” (Hosea 6:1-2)
- How does the passage from Deuteronomy describe the Lord?
- What does it say His works and ways are?
- According to Hosea, what happens on the second and third days?
- What do you think this means?
You see, the people were lost in their ways and led astray. They had a completely false view of God; God simply came onto the scene and put them back on the right path. He WANTED them to seek Him; He WANTED them to turn to Him. Like the writer said, He tore them to pieces in order to heal them. Have you ever had something bad occur in your life that ultimately led you closer to Christ? How about something that seemed impossible and overwhelming that allowed you to fully place your trust in Christ? Perhaps that’s not a coincidence. Remember…God’s ultimate plan is for you to look more like His Son.
Sometimes however, we go through stuff simply because the world is a fallen place or because other people make bad decisions that affect our lives. When this happens, rest assured that all of God’s ways are just and perfect. Everything that God does is perfect…no matter how we perceive it. This is a hard lesson to learn and something that I struggled with for a really long time. But at the end of the day, ask yourself this one question: “Why do you serve God?”
After much hardship and wrestling with this question in my own life, I finally came to the conclusion that I serve God because He is the ONLY one worthy of my life! He’s the only one WORTH serving! He is Holy, perfect, and the great “I AM.” And good times or bad, that’s a promise that you can stand firmly on. No matter what you face in this life or what is thrown at you, find peace in the fact that God is on His throne. The battle that we fight on earth is a spiritual one that’s already been won. God’s purpose and plan is so much bigger than us, and like the earlier verse in John 16 states, God has already overcome!
So what do we do in the meantime?
“Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:3)
We must know, perceive, experience, recognize, consider, and confess the Lord. Each and every day, despite our circumstances, we must pursue the One who is just and true. Hold fast to the promise that Christ is coming…we must press on!