Thus says the LORD:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,
when she came up from the land of Egypt.
On that day, says the LORD,
She shall call me “My husband,”
and never again “My baal.”
I will espouse you to me forever:
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD.
— Hosea 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22
The peace of the Lord be with you. As I read these words from Hosea I was touched by their tenderness. The words reminded me of the emotions that often fill the hearts of lovers who are filled with a longing for each other and that sense of peace that fills them when they have finally found what they felt had been missing from their lives.
These words reflect the longing and love that God has for us. God so wants for us to be in right relationship to Him. God so wants to take care and nurture us. God so longs to shower us with His mercy. What then, keeps us from accepting this invitation, this gift?
Dear Heavenly Father, help us accept your loving invitation. Please protect us from the distractions and the feelings of inadequacy that may repel us from growing closer to you. Thank you for never giving up on us. For it is only in you that we will find what we have been seeking. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.