Daily devotional · March 7
Come, Let Us Return
“Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence. So let us know— let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.”
Hosea's people speak beautiful words of repentance here: come, let us return to the Lord, for he has torn us but he will heal us. It sounds sincere, and yet in the verses that follow God gently observes that their loyalty is like morning mist that disappears with the sun. That is a warning worth hearing. Emotion in a good moment is not the same as lasting faithfulness. Still, the invitation itself is lovely. The image of a God who wounds only to heal, who comes as surely as the dawn and as refreshing as spring rain, reminds us that his discipline is always aimed at restoration. Today, ask yourself whether your commitment to God has become a mood. Choose one small, repeatable habit, ten minutes of prayer at the same time each day, that can carry you through the days when you do not feel much at all.
Prayer
Lord, make my faithfulness steady, not just a passing feeling. Heal what is broken in me. Amen.