Outrageous Request

Reading from Hosea this week Chapter 1-12 so far and have noticed a couple of things.  Let's start with the outrageous request that God made of Hosea.  God told Hosea to go and marry a Harlot.  Can you imagine such a request?  The interesting thing is that Hosea did exactly what God told him to do.  He went out and married the woman that would cheat on him, betray him, walk away from him, depend on other men other than him.  I know as a husband that I want my wife to depend on me.  I want her to rely on me as her husband and the person she will spend her life with.  I know this may sound like something you have heard but have we ever thought  how much God wants us to rely on Him for the things of this world.  How much He wants to be the One we turn to as life throws us different challenges.  As I read this week it dawned on me that God asked Hosea to do something outrageous not to make Hosea suffer or even to bring him pain but to help Hosea understand what He (God) feels like when we replace Him with other things and people.  Think about it how many times do we replace God with stuff, other people, relationships, dreams, ideas, anything that we rely on more then Him.  How does God feel when we do this to Him?  Why does He continue to love us and be faithful when He has every right to leave us to our own problems that we dug while turning our backs on Him?  I know that we still have consequences for our actions but we don't pay in full for the mistakes we make.  We are grated grace and mercy by a Father who loves us and wants better for us.  Could it be that God has called us to do something Outrageous and it may be painful, draining, you name it but it what He wants it's His request.  Am I willing to do something that doesn't make a lot of since to me but know that it is His calling on my life.  Maybe the request is invest in a persons who may turn their back on God and do their own thing.  Maybe be willing to do something that brings me emotional or physical pain just so I can understand more of who God is and what He is about.  My prayer this week is that I will be willing to do the outrageous stuff for God because through the outrageous stuff I get to see the Outrageous God that loves me.  What outrageous thing must I stop depending on so that I can fully return to God?

Hosea 12:6 "But You must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always."