In the days of Hosea and Jonah, Obadiah and Habakkuk…
They had lost their country, their king, their temple; they were threatened with the loss of their very identity. It helped them see God’s consistent love and purpose still alive and valid for them. They were invited to view that terrible experience as God’s way of refining them, preparing them for His purpose.
Perhaps this is what God is doing with us. Perhaps he has extended the invitation to us in our trials, as it was to the Israelites. Sometimes God removes the things from our life in which we have placed parts of our identity. Your home. A trusted friend. The dear family member. A job. Your health. The health of your spouse. The behavior of a child. The reputation of your family. The loss of different facets of our identity painfully removes our faulty placements of security and comfort that we’ve built up. It brings us back to see God’s consistent love and purpose as our single, lasting identity. His love and purpose cannot be lost. The Israelites spent 350 years losing everything they had identifies themselves with for over 1000 years. But the theme through this section of God’s Word is His continuing love and His sovereignty over history.
We live in a different time, but God never changes. His love for us is still the same and his sovereign control over our lives is still to refine and prepare His people for His purpose.
