Have you ever felt like an exiled child, wandering in the desert and without relief?

You find yourself in a parched land, asking yourself, “how did I get here and how do I exit?”

God has sent us out to follow him and we end up complaining, confused and full of excuses. He saves us from ourselves time and time again, even if we find ourselves exiled in the desert. When will we learn from these wandering experiences that we can’t find nourishment once we’re dragging ourselves through that sand?

We search for a way out with self-indulgence and idols of pop culture. It’s the same for us now as for our ancestors. From golden calves and towering poles to selfie likes and materialistic hordes, we are not that far off from trying to fill our own selfish needs as those who came before us.

Solomon was there with the rest of us, falling over self and wealth, yet wisdom kept bringing him back around, proclaiming truth that has rang true from the  East of Eden all the way to our backyards.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.

God has rescued us so many times. We see a love story of faith and forgiveness in the book of Hosea. This man was spoken to by the Lord in order to set an example for a fallen people. He wanted them to be reminded of His promises and truth.

Hosea is called to marry an unfaithful women who births three children. These children may or may not even be Hosea’s, but he names them and tends to them. His wife continues on with her affairs despite Hosea’s promise to care for her. She wants to go after these lovers and find a means of living from their indulgences.

Instead of Hosea giving up, shaming and punishing his bride, the Lord commands him to take her in.

Hosea 3:1  NIV The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’

Instead of punishing His people, the Lord uses Gomer as an example of how He will attend to His people.

2:14-15 “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
    I will lead her into the wilderness
    and speak tenderly to her.
 There I will give her back her vineyards,
    and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will respond as in the days of her youth,
    as in the day she came up out of Egypt.”

Just as He saved them in the desert, He will save them in the wilderness they wander in now. They have fallen away and He will call them home.   After awhile of wandering from the truth, He will restore them.

Here are the links to the other parts in this series as released:

Part 2No Longer Exiled: Part Two, Hosea

part 3

part 4

part 5