Remaining in the Wilderness

"And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals
when she burned offerings to them
and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry,
and went after her lovers
and forgot me, declares the LORD.

"Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor (trouble) a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
"And in that day, declares the LORD, you will call me 'My Husband,' and no longer will you call me 'My Baal.' " Hosea 2:13-16.

I heard a message on this scripture the other day, and I loved what the Pastor shared!
When Israel had been unfaithful to God, had turned away from Him, and run to her other lovers- God allured her into the wilderness to rekindle their love.
In the desert, where the children of Israel were sent to wander for 40 years, they learned to hear God's voice and be united as a family.
After being baptized, Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to be with the Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist drew the crowds out into the wilderness to repent and find new joy.

In the wilderness was found repentance, joy, closeness, renewal.
When God invites you to the desert, He is inviting you to intimacy- because there is nothing there but Him! Often, we see/hear "desert" and think desolation, mistaking it for privacy. Jesus wants us to come to the secret place!
Notice that God says "I will punish her," then "I will allure her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her." Don't mistake the wilderness as punishment- it is your invitation to intimacy. In the wilderness is where we start to call God "My Husband" instead of "My Baal." Calling God "My Baal" can be the same thing as calling Him "My Master." God's desire is not to rule and reign over us as a master, but to ENJOY us! God cannot possibly love us anymore than He loves us right now. Everything that He can do for us, He already did it on the Cross. His desire is to have a passionate, intimate relationship with us. He has initiated that love- now it is us who must come closer and closer to Him. There is something so special about seeing God as a Father and Friend, but there is something that awakens our passion for God when we see Him as our Lover. The dictionary defines "Passion" as "any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate. A strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor." That's what God feels towards us! A powerful and compelling emotion to love us and be near us. A strong feeling of desire for our heart. A love that we can't even comprehend. "You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride. You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes... Your love delights me, my treasure, my bride. Your love is better than wine..." Song of Solomon 4:9a-10a. This is how God looks at us! Another version reads "You have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes." To ravish means "to fill with strong emotion, especially joy." We have captured the heart of God- even in our weakness and immaturity. We fill Him with joy! God wants us to be fully His, fully devoted to knowing Him more and more. God is wild. He is really out there. He's not boring, religious, or silent. He is pursuing you! I always used to have this mental picture that when I pray, I would come into the throne room of God and pour my heart out to Him. He would then come down from His throne and speak to me. That is not AT ALL what God is like! JESUS is chasing me down! He wants to be with me so badly that He doesn't wait for me to come. JESUS always initiates! He wants us to walk with Him constantly. He wants us to be intimate with Him.... Exciting isn't it? That's what I have been learning during my time here in Tulsa. This is the exciting, heart thrilling, rapid pulse journey that my passionate JESUS is taking me through. But you know what got that all started? Yep. The Wilderness. There is where JESUS spoke so tenderly to me and ignited a love for Him that I have never experienced before. I thought I was in a Valley of Trouble, but He turned it into a door of hope! Isn't that amazing! That's such a wonderful mindset that we should adopt- See your Valley of Trouble as a Door of Hope! If you are in a season that feels lonely, purposeless, desolate, or dry, what an amazing opportunity to come close to your Beloved. Don't fear the Wilderness, for it is there that a fire will be ignited in your heart for the greatest Love that there is. JESUS.