Friday means looking at the word prompt and joining Kate Motaung for Five Minute Friday. One word prompt. Five minutes. No editing. Many of us writing on that same word.
Today’s prompt is … Heal.
Before I headed to bed, I checked my twitter feed for the word prompt. Upon seeing the word – heal – only one verse quickly came to mind:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV)
My mind goes back to my teenage years when I had first heard and learned that verse. It was during the Nixon administration and Watergate. So I struggled as I went to bed, not wanting to write about politics and a country divided, then as it is now.
I wake to do my morning study with Hello Mornings. Turning to the portion in our Hosea study, I read:
“I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’ ”
(Hosea 10:12, NLT)
With the words before me, I just stayed put on them for a bit. All I could see was the heart of God and His love towards us.
Even when we wander, forgetting about Him and His ways, He still desires to pour out His blessing and favor on us. He even tells us what we need to do:
- plow up the hard soil of our hearts
- seek Him NOW
- plant good seeds of righteousness
AND HE WILL COME!
Can we even imagine the God of all creation, the Mighty One, coming to us. Right where we are in our personal situations. And in our country.
In the midst of announcing God’s judgment, Hosea reminds us – “Wait!!! Stop!!! You don’t have to face such judgment, this is what you can do and God will instead bless you.”
God is wanting to work in each of our hearts and lives for the purpose of BLESSING us. I thought of this verse as I was reading:
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
(Hebrews 4:12-13, NLT)
May we let Him do surgery on our hearts, excising what needs to be removed SO THAT He can pour out His blessing. Let’s plow up the hard places in our hearts, seek Him now, plant good seeds of righteousness.
AND HE WILL COME!
He will heal our hearts.
And our country.
Today I am joining … Five Minute Friday and Faith Filled Friday and Grace & Truth and Faith ”˜N Friends and #FreshMarketFriday .
So many thoughts come flooding into my mind as I ponder your words — but chiefly this verse: Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground.
I think that’s the answer to the surgery we need as a nation and as individuals. So much fallow ground. So many resources that are not turned over to God.
Michele, I am continually amazed at how God can use one word to speak to us individually and corporately, as a church or country. Thank you for sharing here today.
Beautiful words, Joanne. Better than beautiful, they are true. Thank you.
Your kinds words are much appreciated, Debby. Thank you for encouraging me today!
Wow, Joanne. Oof. What a timely word for me and a perspective spoken truthfully and kindly. Thank you for the Scriptures and wisdom!
Thank you for your kind words, Bethany. Seeing the word prompt made me realize how God intersects both a corporate word with an individual word. He wants to heal us individually and also as a country as well. May we be praying for both healings. I appreciate you!
These are great reflections. I have been reading Hosea too in a different study and it has also stood out to me that although God brings judgement it is motivated by love. All he really wants is for us to turn back to him and he longs to heal and restore.
I have seen several online communities doing Hosea. I love that God works in this way! Yes, all that God does is motivated and rooted in His love. So glad you shared here. Blessings!
I pray so…
What a good word! To let Him do surgery on our hearts! Oh, Yes!
Found your post today on FaithnFriends.
Hope you have a blessed day~
Melanie
Timely thoughts. It seems we need them more than ever. Allowing God to heal our hearts is holy work.