A gateway of hope

“I will transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope,” (Hosea 2:15)

The book of Hosea is a remarkable book because it graphically portrays the heart of God and His great love for wayward people.  God called the prophet Hosea to be a living, breathing, walking-about demonstration of God’s patient, sacrificial, and costly love for His people.  God commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer, whom He knew would be unfaithful to Hosea. God said, “Go and marry a prostitute so some of her children will be born to you from other men. This will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the LORD by worshipping other gods,” (Hosea 1:2). Hosea and Gomer were a living picture of God and Israel.  Despite their great sinfulness and their wandering hearts, God loved his people, remained faithful to them and wanted relationship with them.

But Gomer, like Israel, was unfaithful. As soon as her children were born, Gomer chose to prostitute herself again and soon became enslaved. Despite this betrayal, God commanded Hosea to redeem her.   God wanted Hosea to buy her back from slavery to demonstrate his extraordinary love for her and so to illustrate God’s long-suffering commitment to his people. “The Lord said, ‘Go and get your wife again. Bring her back to you and love her, even though she loves adultery. For the LORD still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods…So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and about five bushels of barley and a measure of wine.” (Hosea 3:1-2).

Through Hosea, God was showing that He is the one who makes the first move. God makes the second move. God makes all the moves when it comes to relationship with Him. Like Gomer, we have all prostituted ourselves by becoming enamored with other “loves.” We are routinely unfaithful to God because of our sin and inordinate desires.  But God, because he is rich in mercy came after us. Though our sin had landed us in the “Valley of Trouble,” He transformed that trouble into a “gateway of hope,” (Hosea 2:15).   He himself paid the great price of our redemption through the cross of Jesus Christ. In the book of Romans we hear: “While we were still sinners, God sent his Son, Jesus, who gave his life for us,” (Romans 5:8). Despite the “other loves” in your life that receive more affection from you than God himself, he continues to pursue you.  He is calling you to leave the “Valley of Trouble” and enter into his “gateway of hope.”

Allow yourself to rest in the reality of God’s love for you. Know that even when you have chosen unfaithfulness to God, he is still pursuing you. You can never be “worthy” of his love, but he comes after you anyway. It is always His desire to restore you to relationship with him.