The Bible truly is God’s love letter to us. It’s our learning tool to help us navigate this life; in its pages are lessons learned and examples of the lives of people who have gone before us.
“But I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.” (Hosea 2:14-15)
Before I go any further, let me give you a little understanding of what was going on at that time. Actually, all throughout the Old Testament, the nation of Israel (God’s chosen), were a very hard necked people – meaning they were disobedient to God…they were adulterous and unfaithful…they worshipped false Gods…they followed their own desires…basically, they were going their own way…in the wrong direction.
Now let me take you back to when this muscle disease hit me; I was hopeless. I felt worthless. I thought my life was over. How about you? I’m sure you can think of trials, adversities, and crises that came your way
The truth is that any sufferings that come our way will either make us turn towards God, or will make us decide to turn away from God. He gave us the freedom to choose which way we’ll go.
Yes, trials will take us into the desert, but this is where God speaks to us. If we choose to turn to God in those times…incredible things happen! He will use even our negative experiences to create opportunities for us to run into His arms.
“The burden of suffering seems to be a tombstone hung around our necks. Yet in reality it is simply the weight necessary to hold the diver down while he is searching for pearls” – Julius Richter
