Thoughts from Hosea

I read the following verses this morning in Hosea:

When Ephraim saw his sickness,

and Judah his wound, 

then Ephraim went to Assyria,

and sent to the great king.

But he is not able to cure you

or heal your wound.

For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,

and like a young lion to the house of Judah,

I, even I, will tear and go away;

I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.

I will return again to my place,

until they acknowledge their guilt

and seek my face,

and in their distress earnestly 

seek me.

Hosea 5:13-15

The message is clear. In our sinfulness,we tend to resort to means other than our Father in Heaven to find cures, healing, fulfillment. But God will not rescue us from bondage to the things of this world until we acknowledge our guilt and earnestly seek Him. This cannot be a half-hearted seeking that is simply a thinly veiled (not to God, of course) attempt to get our own way. We must be broken, contrite, and repentant. And we must know in our hearts that nothing else in life really matters but our relationship with the Father. In my experience, we may have to demonstrate this mindset to God for some time before He finally and decisively rescues us from ourselves, but when He determines we are ready, it is worth the wait.