The Story - You

Hosea was just your average Jewish guy. He lived an average Jewish life(probably), doing average Jewish stuff. This all changed though when Yahweh, the God of heaven, told Hosea to marry a prostitute. Hosea does it(man, I wish I knew his thought process), and he and his wife Gomer have three children. When each child is born, God steps in again to pick the names for each child. The first child, a boy, is named Jezreel, because God is about to avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and somehow put an end to the house of Israel, the people chosen to be dedicated to Yahweh. What a downer of a birth.

It only gets worse. Hosea and Gomer have another child, a girl this time, and God says to name her Lo-ruhamah, meaning "No Compassion." God says to name her this because He will no longer have compassion on Israel, saying that He will certainly take them away. At this point, another child probably doesn't sound like the best idea, but lo and behold, bouncing baby number three is born. This time, another son named Lo-ammi, meaning "Not My People." God says Israel is not His people, and He is not their God. Whoa. Chapter 1 of Hosea; the quintessential "bummer" for Israel.

Humanity has come a long way. Time flows onward; story after story is written. People live and die, everyday. Sometimes I think we forget about this; that every one of the countless people that have walked on this ball of dirt has a story. You are part of that.

In the book of Romans, in Chapter 11, Paul gives us some insight into the crazy plan that God has weaved to make sure that you, no matter who you are, can be reconciled back to God. God chose his people and called them Israel(wrestles with God), and since then, God's plan has unfolded in such a way that there is a way for all to return. I dare you to read about it.

This is a story about God and you. The whole Bible attests to it. All of scripture is screaming to you, trying desperately to let you know that every breath you take is of infinite importance. Let no one say that you are worthless. Your value has been set by the one who set all things into motion.

The Story being written is a love story; that's right, God writes romance. It's a story about how things started really good with us and God, and ended up really bad. It's a story about how God wanted us back, even after we traded His love for our own selfishness. It's a story about how that selfishness has persisted in every generation of people on earth, but God never got sick of loving us to the point of giving up on us. It's a story about coming home, life being unfair, and the captivation of hearts both divine and human. No one out there is telling a story like the one God is writing. And like I said before, my God is a God of happy endings.

Let me go back to our friend Hosea, who has to be sweating bullets after the events of chapter 1. Chapter 2 begins with a (very graphic)rebuke of Israel's turning away from God. After the choking words of despair though, comes a message of hope. Israel will be forgiven! In fact, things will be better than they were before! Verses 14 - 23 paint the beautiful picture of God's grace and forgiveness. And guess what, Jezreel(child #1), who before represented bloodshed and vengeance, now represents new life!

It gets better. God will have compassion on "No Compassion"(child #2), and God will say to "Not My People"(child #3) "you are my people!" Hosea sleeps well for the first time since chapter 1.

This was a prophecy, told by Hosea the prophet, that was fulfilled by Jesus. Now all of us, those who were once not God's people, have the opportunity to be God's people. Those of us who God would not have had compassion on now are able to receive it. God wants you back.

I hope you who are reading this are never satisfied. I hope you continue, whether you follow Jesus or not, to wrestle with the story of scripture. I pray you don't look at scripture as a heap of distant history, but rather a story about God and you. God wants you to know what He's gone through to get you back, and to know that there is a happy ending waiting for you. We can't understand all the stories God has used or is using, but we know He is and we know why He is. Because he wants you back. Because you were made for this.

Romans chapter 11 ends with a verse that says from God, to God, and through God are all things. You are from God. You are to God. You are through God. So join us! The Story is better the more characters there are. Give God the pen and let the adventure begin.