I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, “I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.” Hosea 2:6-7
Lord Jesus, I’ve praised you for the kaleidoscopic foliage decorating the mountains of Switzerland, the wind-dancing sea oats covering the dunes of Florida’s Gulf, and the über-intense green painting the cliffs of Northern Ireland. But today, I praise you for the gift of thornbushes. They’re not pretty, but they are precious—as you make quite clear in these verses from Hosea.
Jesus, you love us so much that when we love you less, you come after us with bulldog-tenacity and uncomfortable providences. You are unrelenting in your commitment to rescue our hearts from broken cisterns and worthless idols—from anything to which we run and cling, when your love and grace don’t seem to be enough.
Continue to block our path when we begin chasing after lesser gods and other lovers. Hedge us in like a formidable fortress, when we let our longings or lusts, pain and fear have more power over our hearts than the gospel. When we set our heart’s GPS for any destination but you, Jesus, cause us to lose our bearings and way.
That you are jealous for us is the greatest compliment you could ever pay us, Jesus. Who are we that the Lord of glory would make us his Bride? Who are we that you would rejoice over us with the festive joy, the impassioned delight, and the desire-filled gaze of a Bridegroom?
We long for the Day when we’ll never again need to say, “I will go back to my husband as at first“—the Day you return to finish making all things new. Until that Day, Lord Jesus, keep us sane, centered, and satisfied, through the riches of the gospel. So very Amen we pray, in your holy and loving name.