Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. (Hosea 6:1 ESV)
Fear Not… Then Return
My boss and I had been friends, but then he stopped talking to me. I had lied on a sales report, padding my totals out of embarrassment. And he had found out.
The relationship was broken, with obvious consequences. He was still my boss. I was still his employee. But work had now become unpleasant.
For awhile I just trod on. Hoping things would get better. But things got worse.
And finally, I did what I should have done right away. I returned to his office, apologized, and promised to improve my behavior.
Hosea knows that the Lord has torn God’s people because they had left Him. Hosea knows that the Lord has struck His people because they had left Him. And so Hosea knows that the way to be healed is to turn again to Him. Hosea knows that the way to be have their wounds bound is to turn again to Him.
In the same way, perhaps some of the things we have been afraid of have actually been our fault.
Maybe we have some returning to do.
My boss was eager for reconciliation, I found out. God was eager for reconciliation, Hosea’s audience found out. And God is eager for that reconciliation with us, too. Try Him.
Fear not, then return.