They Will Earnestly
Seek Me
Hosea 5:1-15
“…in their misery they
will earnestly seek me.”
Israel was under God’s judgment and severe
discipline because of their rebellion. Their hearts were full of prostitution
and they didn’t acknowledge the LORD. They were all arrogant: priests, people
and royalty. So God would pour out his wrath on them. Even at that moment, they
sought help from the king of Assyria. But he could not help them. They needed
to return to God.
God promised that they would earnestly seek
Him in their misery. Suffering and pain has a redemptive purpose. In time of
suffering, we draw near to God. Life is a crucible in which we learn to seek
God even in the midst of suffering and pain. Sometimes, the suffering is because of our sins and mistakes. Sometimes, it is due to others' sins. Then there is suffering simply because we live in a fallen world. We must see all suffering with God's lens. Peter comments well about suffering and trials as he wrote to scattered Christians. He wrote:
"...who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Pe 1:5-7)
I believe that in the crucible or furnace of suffering, God is heating us up in order to remove the dross that is attached to our faith. He wants us to have a pure faith that has been refined in trials just as gold or silver is refined in a furnace and the dross or common metal is separated from the precious metal. In this sense, God is very gracious to wait on us, train us and mold us. And the final result is that we will become more like Jesus. God's eventual purpose is that we be conformed to the image of Christ.
God has been molding me all my life to become like Jesus. If I can remember this in the midst of trials, I can rejoice. "And we boast [rejoice] in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory [rejoice] in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (Ro 5:2b-5).
"...who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Pe 1:5-7)
I believe that in the crucible or furnace of suffering, God is heating us up in order to remove the dross that is attached to our faith. He wants us to have a pure faith that has been refined in trials just as gold or silver is refined in a furnace and the dross or common metal is separated from the precious metal. In this sense, God is very gracious to wait on us, train us and mold us. And the final result is that we will become more like Jesus. God's eventual purpose is that we be conformed to the image of Christ.
God has been molding me all my life to become like Jesus. If I can remember this in the midst of trials, I can rejoice. "And we boast [rejoice] in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory [rejoice] in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (Ro 5:2b-5).
Lord, thank you for molding me through trials to become more like Jesus. Help me to seek you always not only
in time of misery. Forgive my rebellious ways. In Jesus' name. Amen.
One Word: Seek the LORD now!
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