Relentless, Unstoppable Love

“And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.”

Hosea 2:19-20

For me, it is easy to forget about this kind of love God has for me. This love that he is pouring out over me, running to me while I’m still broken on the ground. He brings His love to me and when I look up I see Him there, I see His arms stretched open wide ready to embrace me and tell me that He is betrothed to me forever. This is the intimate love of God. It’s always there, it never leaves us... and always satisfies us. It’s right there in my reach.

This verse broke me. I mean, absolutely ripped me up inside. Tears flowing and a hundred tissues later... I am in His embrace, His peace, His faithfulness, His righteous, His love, His Mercy... and I feel like I’m beginning to know my beautiful Redeemer even more. Lately the Lord has been dealing with my heart in some uncomfortable areas. He has asked me the question, “Emily, am I your everything? Do you come to me for your complete joy and satisfaction? Am I truly your bread of life?” I so desperately want to answer back, Yes God! You’re all that I need, but my life doesn’t match up to what I want to say. Some weeks, God is my sole provider and other weeks I look to things of the world to find rest and satisfaction.

By looking to other things and people for true satisfaction, I am not only failed every time, I completely turn my back on God.

God.

I turn my back on GOD.

The God who always was. The God who spoke and all creation was formed. The God who continually loved Israel with an undying, passionate love even though they were in complete rebellion towards Him. The God who delivered up Himself, His very son to be sent to earth, full of wickedness, hate and sin and be the atoning sacrifice for all mankind. The God who raised Jesus from the dead, ultimately defeating death and sin for me.

The God who looks upon me, dirty - filthy - unworthy - me, and says,

“I will betroth yourself to me forever.”

Why in the world would I run to anything else but Him? My prayer is that God and I would be completely tethered together... in every thought and action. In His word, He promises to love me forever. No matter where I am in life He is still standing next to me with His arms stretched open wide, waiting for me to embrace Him.

Oh, it’s hard to fathom the incredible grace of our glorious God, but it’s real.

I experience it every day.

What love.

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,

tune my heart to sing thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,

mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;

hither by thy help I'm come;

and I hope, by thy good pleasure,

safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

wandering from the fold of God;

he, to rescue me from danger,

interposed his precious blood.

O 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, O take and seal it,

seal it for thy courts above.