Mercy

"Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!'" Hosea 2:23

This was the scripture at the end of my devotional this morning. How many times have I read it before? Yet, this time it struck me as amazingly beautiful. Hosea is a story of tragedy. It's a story of unfaithfulness. Hosea marries Gomer, a prostitute, and time and again, she runs off, plays the role of harlot. She cheats. She lies. She leaves her husband alone and questioning where she is, who she is with. Two of the three children to which she gives birth are from her affairs. Hosea is a painful story to read, but Hosea is also a story of redemption. Hosea seeks out Gomer at her absolute worst. He buys her out of slavery, and he restores to her place as his wife.

Hosea is not only a story of a redemptive husband (and I should probably mention here that I believe that the story of Hosea is true), Hosea is a story of God's love for His people. How many times did the children of Israel "cheat" with other gods? How many times did the run from the truth? Yet, God sought them out. He had mercy on those who had not obtained mercy.

And if the story of Hosea was only a story of a redemptive husband and of God's love and forgiveness for His chosen people then it would be more than enough and absolutely beautiful in its own right. But I also believe it's a story for us today. Maybe you feel like there is no way God could ever love and accept you again. Maybe you think you've messed up too many times. You may even say, "I'm not one of God's people, and I've done nothing to earn His mercy. He doesn't want me!" I'm sorry friend, but I beg to differ. Read Hosea 2:23 again, "Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!'"

The question isn't will God accept you. He already has. That was done 2000 years ago on a cross at Calvary. The question is, are you willing to say "You are my God!"?