Daily Devotionals

August 4, 2020

Our Peachtree Church email devotionals this week, August 3–7, will all be written by Peachtree’s Student Ministry Staff.


 

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.”

Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”), for I will no longer show love to Israel, that I should at all forgive them. Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God, will save them.”

After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.

 Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’ The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.

 Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’

 

Hosea 1:2-2:1

God commands Hosea to marry an adulterous woman. Even though Hosea knows there will be difficulty, he obeys God’s command and walks into a painful marriage that results in three children who may not even be his own. In the midst of this pain and uncertainty, God then commands Hosea to give his children names that are associated with punishment, the lack of love, and abandonment. Anyone who saw Hosea’s life would see spiritual and relational brokenness flowing outward from his home. However, God does not end the story there.

 

In the midst of the difficulty, God then declares that the names of Hosea’s children will be redeemed and will be changed to blessing, love, and belonging. This change mirrors the redemptive nature of the Gospel, reminding us that the Resurrection of Christ breathes new life into us and offers a new name to all believers. Through the sacrifice of Christ, what is wrong becomes right.

 

I don’t know about you, but I see a lot of wrong in the world around me right now. At this point during the pandemic, on some days I find myself with a sense of numbness toward my faith. The trial seems too difficult. Why has God not yet brought redemption and restoration? Why are people losing their lives, brides forfeiting their weddings, and families who suffer from inequality being tuned out when they need so desperately to be heard?

 

Sometimes there are no clear answers. Nevertheless, we are called to submit to the One who commands us to bless, love, and belong. We may not see the end in sight, and there may be more pain to endure. But embracing the command to bless, love, and belong is a physical manifestation of grabbing hold of the new name that is given to us in Christ.

 

Hope for your new name and live out that hope rather than focusing on the difficulty of the trial.

For Reflection


What are some trials you are enduring today?


How could you bless, love, and belong with others in spite of these trials? How can you do the same with God?


What does hoping for the restoration of Christ bring to you today?

Prayer


O God of mercy and might, come into my heart today and remind me that You hold the power of redemption in Your hand. Fill my life, Holy Spirit, and whisper the hope of Christ into the dry bones of my trials. Breathe life into my struggles so that I may bless, love, and belong while remembering what You have done for me and why You are worthy of praise. Please direct me toward Your will and shelter me in the shadow of Your strength. Amen.

Wes Nichols
Director of Middle School Ministry