Israel, return to the LORD your God,
for you have stumbled in your iniquity.
Take words of repentance with you
and return to the LORD.
Say to him, “Forgive all our iniquity
and accept what is good,
so that we may repay you
with praise from our lips.
Assyria will not save us,
we will not ride on horses,
and we will no longer proclaim, ‘Our gods!’
to the work of our hands.
For the fatherless receives compassion in you.”
I will heal their apostasy;
I will freely love them,
for my anger will have turned from him.
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“Return to the Lord your God.” What would it mean for you to return, not vaguely, but concretely, today?
Hosea calls God’s people to bring honest words of repentance. What do you need to say plainly to God today without excuses, blame-shifting, or spiritual vagueness?
Hosea says, “Take words with you and return to the Lord.” Practice spoken repentance today. Say your repentance prayer out loud, not because God needs to hear you audibly, but because you need to be clear and honest.
Ask God to heal your wandering heart and receive you in mercy, returning to him.
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.