“But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.”
Hosea 11:2-4
Whenever I visit my sister Jay on her Maryland farm, we always find time to sing our favorite hymns. We love to harmonize on the old hymn, “Come Thou Fount.” My heart aches so as we sing the second verse: “Oh to grace how great a debtor, / daily I’m constrained to be! / Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, / bind my wandering heart to Thee. / Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, / prone to leave the God I love; / here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it, / seal it for Thy courts above!”
Tears come easily when I sing that familiar verse. I cry because it’s true. I am so prone to wander. I’m inclined to roam away from God. I know myself all too well! The poignant thing is, God knows me, too. Hosea 11:2-4 reflects God’s thoughts on our wandering hearts.
Read today’s verse again. God is the one who taught you to take your first steps in your Christian life. During times of confusion and tumult, God took you by the arms and led you. In all your illnesses, it is God who healed you. He led you with cords of human kindness and ties of love. When your burden seemed overwhelming, when you felt trapped by your circumstances, it was He who lifted the yoke from your neck. God is the One who has condescended time and again to bend down to feed you, provide for you, and take care of you. Oh, what a fountain of love He is!
Jehovah-Jireh, You are my provider. With tender-hearted care, You teach me and lead me. Oh, may I never wander! Here’s my heart! Take and seal it for Thy courts above!
