Come back home to God

If you've left your God, forgotten Him, been unfaithful, or chosen sin again and again, today is the day to come home. Today, you can make a true and full repentance.

1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for your sins have brought you down.

You've done things you never dreamed you would. Still you're unsatisfied, lonely, stuck. Your life may or may not be in shambles, but your heart is, and you know it.

2 Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord.
Say to Him,
“Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us,
so that we may offer You our praises.

You may have told someone along the way some of what you've done and where you've been. Most likely you were lying even then, but God knows it all and He loves you still. Pour out your true confession. Ask for His forgiveness. He said He would surely grant it. And you will praise Him for His glorious grace.

3 Assyria cannot save us,
nor can our warhorses.
Never again will we say to the idols we have made,
‘You are our gods.’
No, in You alone
do the orphans find mercy.”

Whatever person or thing or method you have tried has failed you. Its hire was costly. Its pleasure was temporary. It did not answer when you called in the day of trouble - and it never can. You have been used and you were deceived. But in God you will find mercy.

4 The Lord says,
“Then I will heal you of your faithlessness;
My love will know no bounds,
for My anger will be gone forever.

Your backsliding has been a sickness, a malignant cancer in your spirit and soul. But He will heal you and give you a clean heart if you will ask and pursue Him. He will love you freely. He will pour out favor on you, undistinguishable from that which He pours out on the most faithful of His sons.

5 I will be to Israel
like a refreshing dew from heaven.
Israel will blossom like the lily;
it will send roots deep into the soil
like the cedars in Lebanon.

He will watch over the work of restoration in your life. He will be your life source and He will work from the inside out.

6 Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees,
as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon.

Yes, times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord.

7 My people will again live under my shade.
They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines.
They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.

God will keep and protect you. He will be your shepherd and your vinedresser. He will make you fruitful for His glory.

8 “O Israel, stay away from idols!
I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you.
I am like a tree that is always green;
all your fruit comes from me.”

Cast away and destroy the idols you put before Him. Radically cut them out of your life. Don't go back there. Don't go back! He is the the One who loves you, the One who loved you even while you were in your sins and rebelling against Him. He is your glory.

9 Let those who are wise understand these things.
Let those with discernment listen carefully.
The paths of the Lord are true and right,
and righteous people live by walking in them.
But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.

God is calling you back. Calling you back, today, now - while there is still time. Do you have ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to you? 

He is watching and He will come running to meet you with love and compassion.

[God's word to you is from Hosea 14:1-9, NLT]