Have you considered the story of Hosea the prophet? In this story “the Lord told him, Mary a prostitute and have children with that prostitute. The people in this land have acted like prostitutes and abandoned the Lord. So, Hosea married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and had a son” (Hosea 1:2-4). As you continue to read through the book of Hosea you will realize this marriage was symbolic. Hosea represents God and his wife represents Israel. Like God demonstrated his love towards Israel, Hosea was to demonstrate his unfailing love towards his wife, constantly forgiving her of adultery and reassuring her of his commitment to her. A beautiful depiction of God’s relentless love towards his people.
Can you begin to place yourself in the shoes of Hosea. Can you begin to imagine the heart ache he felt being married to an unfaithful spouse? When I do, what comes to mind is this one line from proverbs 31:32 “Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.” I envision the looks and whispers of the elders in town and what they must have thought about Hosea and his predicament. What advice did they give him? When I think about Hosea and his situation, I cannot say for certain he was respected or not respected at the city gates, but it makes me wonder what others thought of him and his marriage. Notwithstanding what I do know is this beautiful account of God’s love towards his people is afforded to us by the sacrifice of Hosea’s love life. All the same I see yet another lesson intertwined in this story.
A Hidden Gem
So often we want to associate with the story of Joseph and Job. That our breakthrough is the next chapter. We believe we experience various turmoil’s, heart ache and disappointments because these trials are for our benefit, to sharpen our faith and to better equip us for our Christian journey. While there is truth in that analysis, we should also keep in mind that our experiences are not simply for ourselves. Like Hosea we must experience some uncomfortable situations to demonstrate God’s love. Our journey is not simple to get to the next chapter where we, like Joseph are elevated to Pharoah’s thorn or receive a double portion like Job. I wish to highlight this because many times throughout our faith walk, we become weary. We desperately want that double portion. As such we cannot see the bigger picture. We cannot see how God is demonstrating to someone else what faith looks like as they watch us in our waiting. We cannot see how God is demonstrating to someone else what joy looks like as they watch us in our waiting.
The Big Question
What story is God trying to tell through you? You get to decide who you will be in your story. Will you be like Job’s wife? Will you be like Lots wife? Or maybe you will be like the old woman who told Jesus “Even the dogs can eat the crumbs” (Matt. 15:21-28). She understood that if you have a little with Jesus you have more than enough. Your story is being written every day.
Today, who will you be in your story?