How do you view your relationship with the Lord? As a set of dos and don’ts with a judge? Or as a passionate love affair with God?
Satan, of course, doesn’t want us to see God as our lover. He wants us to look at God as the rule-giver, stern-judger, and fun-spoiler. He wants you to picture Him only as an angry deity. Satan hopes you will regard God as a harsh taskmaster. He works overtime to present this view of God because if he succeeds, religion becomes a duty. Faith becomes a list of dos and don’ts. Relationship with God turns into a taxing obligation.
God Wants Your Relationship with Him to Be a Passionate Love Affair
But the Old Testament book of Hosea demonstrates that God wants so much more. When you read about the godly prophet’s marriage to a promiscuous prostitute and hear the words Yahweh tenderly calls out to His wayward people, Israel, you can see that He wants you to see Him as your lover, your husband, your confidant. Jesus wants you to know Him intimately, even as He knows every little thing about you. He doesn’t want you to run away, but if you do, He won’t stop pursuing you. God desires your faithfulness, not because He wants to be your boss but because He wants to be your husband. He wants your relationship with Him to be a passionate love affair.
Each of us can experience this intimacy with Jesus. Whether you’re in a loving earthly marriage, a marriage that has disappointed, or no marriage at all, you can know the relentless love of Jesus. You can have the mind-boggling experience of knowing your Savior intimately and of being known.
This changes everything. Spending time in the Bible becomes an opportunity to discover something new about our Husband and hear His declarations of love. Prayer becomes a chance to reciprocate that love. Because of the certainty of His affection, we know we can unburden our hearts and tell Him our secret fears. We no longer need to strive for recognition or compete for accolades because we live confident in the love of the King. Then we can drop our masks, assured that Jesus loves us for who we are and not for who the world thinks we should be. And worship becomes a time to receive that love in the celebration that is the Lord’s Supper and to praise our Husband for His sure and unconditional love for us.
“I Will Love Them Freely”
God didn’t have to take Israel back after all of her unfaithfulness, but He does. In some of the most beautiful words in the whole Book of Hosea, Yahweh speaks:
I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress;
from me comes your fruit. (Hosea 14:4-8)
“I will love them freely”—what delightful words! Not “I will love them reluctantly.” Not “I will love them begrudgingly.” He doesn’t say, “I will love them but resent every minute.” God doesn’t love them at arm’s length. This is no forced wedding. God promises to love His people freely. Yahweh voluntarily bestows tenderness, affection, and devotion on His beloved.
God’s Words of Love Are for You Too
Listen to God’s words—they are for you too. He whispers to your heart:
Stop striving to fit into the world and working hard to appease the false gods of affluence and materialism. They can never give you what your heart desires. Come to Me and I will love you freely. You don’t have to twist My arm. You don’t have to jump through hoops. Your empty heart hungers for love, but even greater than your desire to receive love is My desire to give it. Come close enough to sit in My shadow. Come near enough to know My protection, My care, and My affection. I will love you freely.
Listen to the Lord’s words: “I will love them freely” (Hosea 14:4). Jesus’ love knows no bounds. Live in the relentless love of Christ.
This post is adapted from my new book God’s Relentless Love: A Study of Hosea. Delve into this unusual story of the marriage between a godly prophet and a wayward prostitute and discover how God continually courts you, pursues you, and desires to have an intimate relationship with you. Find out more about the book and download a free chapter here. Or order your copy at CPH.org or Amazon!