Thought for the Day - Monday 19 October

Thought for the Day – Monday 19th October ‘When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them. How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.’(Hosea 11: 1, 3-4, 8-9) ‘O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee: I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths it flow may richer, fuller be’ – these are the opening words of George Matheson’s hymn which we find in our hymnbook at number 557. I know this is the favourite hymn of many people – for some I know, while a favourite, also a difficult sing because it is so often used at the funerals of loved ones but nonetheless still a favourite with familiar words. You know, we do talk a lot about the love of God don’t we, but I do wonder at times if we have really fully grasped God’s love and the depth of that love for us – a ‘love that wilt not let us go’ – ever. I believe we often think of God as much in his role of judge or as a stern and forbidding father as we do of his grace and the graciousness on his nature. Now, certainly there are times when we need to be disciplined I am sure but as these words from Hosea tell us this is not something God really delights in doing. Hosea takes his own broken marriage as a model as he writes his book and then this prophet paints for us a moving and graphic picture of the sheer anguish God feels at the repeated rejection of him and betrayal of him by his own people. It also paints a wonderful picture of the resolve God has to make sure the relationship between him and his people is fully restored. So, come what may, God will restore that relationship with them – why? Well, because he loves us with a love that wilt not let us go! We see that here in these words where we are given an unforgettable glimpse of that love – a love which will never let us go no matter what is thrown against it. I love this passage from Hosea for it is one of the few passages which portrays so beautifully the true nature of the God we serve – our God who loves us unconditionally and with such a depth of love that no matter what we do he just cannot find it within himself to let us go. Now that is true love! Prayer Loving God, Sometimes we wonder why our lives take the paths they do, we seem to find ourselves in all sorts of situations we never quite envisaged and then wonder how we got there. So often Lord it is because we have strayed from you, rejected you or betrayed you. Lord, keep us close we pray and give us faith to trust in you no matter what happens in our lives. Help us to remember always that you love us with that love that will never let us go and that you are always there willing us back into a loving relationship with you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.