I will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
and in their distress earnestly seek me. – Hosea 5:15
When God saw the sinful state of the nation of Israel, He knew it was because its leaders did not lead in a godly way. It would be tempting for the priests to blame the people, but it was the fault of the spiritual leadership (priests) and political leadership (house of Israel).
As Philippians 3:18 says, when our heart is set on earthly things, we walk as enemies of the cross. We can never forget that we are in this world, but we are not from this world. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we have to live that truth every day of our lives.
“In their distress they will earnestly seek Me.” The goal of God’s judgment against Israel was not destruction, but restoration. Sadly, it is often only in our affliction that we earnestly seek the LORD. Why not seek the LORD now? Isn´t it better to look for God in the good times and not to wait until we are going through hard seasons?
Heavenly Father, help me set my mind on You. Help me remember that I´m a citizen of heaven and that I have to live my life according to that truth. I don´t want to invest my life in earthly things but in You. Amen.
