Daily Devotional for September 26, 2014

Hosea 6:1-3
Let’s return to the Lord.
    He has torn us to shreds,
but he will bandage our wounds
    and make us well.
In two or three days
    he will heal us
and restore our strength
    that we may live with him.
Let’s do our best
    to know the Lord.
His coming is as certain
    as the morning sun;
he will refresh us like rain
renewing the earth
    in the springtime.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

Our cats somewhat “chose sides” more than a decade ago.  It started when we got a big television that apparently made some sort of noise that scared Lucy.  She preferred that I watch TV in our bedroom, where she would happily join me on the bed and lie pressed against my side... on her back – and often with all four legs in the air!  Mabel was perfectly content to stay with Greg and enjoy his attention as she curled up on the footrest of his recliner.  When we moved into a two-story house, and Greg established an office space upstairs, Mabel somewhat became the “upstairs cat”, while Lucy is never very far from me downstairs.

So when Greg and a neighbor took an overnight motorcycle trip, poor little Mabel was more than a bit lost.  She hung out with Lucy and me downstairs...but sometimes she roamed the house and cried as she looked for her “other owner”.  She brought a toy mouse, hoping that Greg would appear and praise her.  She stood up on the back door and pawed toward the handle, thinking he must surely be in the garage.  And when I went upstairs to check on her once, she was curled atop a pair of Greg’s jeans.  I stroked her face and cooed to her in a soothing tone and assured her that he would be back very soon...and that all would be well.  If she could just hang on and take a little snooze, her buddy would be home before she knew it.

In this passage from Hosea, you really need to read Chapter 5 first to understand these verses.  The people of Israel have been sinful and terribly disobedient, and God has allowed them to suffer as a result.  In Hosea 5:13-16, we read...” Israel was brutally crushed. They got what they deserved for worshiping useless idols. Now I, the Lord, will fill Israel with maggots and make Judah rot. When Israel and Judah saw their sickness and wounds, Israel asked help from Assyria and its mighty king.”  So the words of the first verses in Chapter 6 are those of the Israelites, who have realized that they caused their own suffering. But they also recognize that God will forgive them...heal and restore them...if only they will turn back to Him. He will return and make them well.

In our own ways, you and I have been as sinful and disobedient as the Israelites. It’s a wonder that God has not grown as disgusted with us and allowed us to be “filled with maggots and rot”.  Amazingly, God provided us with a covenant in the form of the blood of Jesus. And while we may experience temporary discomfort (and it may even seem like God is crushing us!), we can call on Him to save us by Jesus’ blood, and He will rescue and restore us. This may happen quickly – or we may not fully be refreshed and renewed until Jesus greets us in heaven. But all who earnestly call on the name of Jesus are guaranteed forgiveness and healing.

Our sweet little calico cat did nothing to deserve the feelings of loneliness and desertion she experienced.  Mabel will “get over it” quickly, and in a few days, she will have totally forgotten that she and Greg were ever separated. On the other hand, we have done plenty to alienate ourselves from God and disappoint Him. The love, grace and mercy He demonstrates to us is truly inexplicable...but nonetheless welcome! 

The thought of God “bandaging our wounds, and making us well” is like a healing balm to my soul.  The promise of Jesus waiting in heaven to welcome us with open arms for all eternity gives me strength and courage for this earthly journey.  I know that He is coming for me someday...and this motivates me to turn to Him and let Him make me well.  What about you?


©2014 Debbie Robus

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