Hosea Ch.5:15
“I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early.”
When we are in the Lord, we can never be lost. We can lose fellowship with God (who can have no fellowship with sin) but, He will and He does find His lost "sheep" and brings them home.
Our part, as it says in the text, is to acknowledge our sin and seek the Lord while He may still be found. This, being done with a repentitive heart, will bring forgiveness and restoration. (1 John 1:9)
Our text does not mean there will be no consequences for our actions, "for whom the Lord loves He also chastens." Job also tells us, “not to despise the chastening of the Lord. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds but His hands make whole.”(Job 5:17-18) Meaning, we can learn through affliction, be restored and brought back into fellowship with Him.
As Christians we will experience tribulation in this world. Some of which will be brought on by the consequences of our own sinful actions. However, as it eventually was with the nation of Israel, so it can be with us if we seek His face – forgiveness and restoration.
Lord please use whatever it takes to bring our unsaved loved ones to a realization of their need for You and return our prodigals home at last. Amen.
The Truth
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
