A Prayer of Repentance (Hosea 13-14)

A Prayer of Repentance (Hosea 13-14)

In the final chapter of this book, God again calls the Israelites to repent.  Through Hosea, He even gives them the words to say.  He calls them to return to the Lord, acknowledge their sin and their guilt, and turn away from the idolatry that has brought all the calamity from the Lord upon them.

This brings together two ways in Scripture in which the Lord calls people to repentance.

1. Through His Word
2. Through life circumstances

And clearly the pattern is that if His people ignore method one, He will shout all the louder through method 2.  Jesus confirms that God calls people to repent through life events in Luke 13:1-5

Am I listening to His word?  Where do I need to repent?  Am I responding and turning away from the sin within me, and the sin that I do, in order to return to the Lord anew, daily?

Am I seeing the circumstances in the world, my lives and others, as continual speech from God calling me to follow Him alone, to turn away from the persistent idolatry of my heart and the culture around me?  Or does He have to speak more loudly?

I see no reason from Scripture to doubt that God is as much at work today as ever calling people to repentance through the events of life, including the extremely harsh events that in His wisdom (beyond our understanding) He allows.  But rather than being a cause for alarm or worry, this fact is testimony of the Lord’s relentless love, His relentless mission, His stubborn desire that all repent and come to a knowledge of the truth.

So my prayer today is again one of repentance, as I reflect on my life. But I am also praying for receptivity to the Word when it calls me to repentance.  And I am praying for discernment to hear God’s call to repentance in the events of my life and in the events of the World.  But I also pray for the grace to hear in the Word the relentless grace of my Savior, and the forgiveness and mercy of the cross which He brings to me again and again in answer to my repentance.

What is the Word leading you to pray about today?

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