I Choose You..

Do you remember former Australian Idol winner (2009), Stan Walker's popular song titled 'Choose You'? If you listen to Mix101.1FM, you've definitely heard of it. In fact, you've probably heard it atleast a couple of times this week.  It seems to be a popular choice on 'Love Song Dedications'. I absolutely love the words of this song. And they've been really poignant to me over the past couple of weeks as I've been reading Hosea 1-3 with a friend from church.

Hosea was a prophet that lived & prophesied around the same time that Isaiah did. To show His love for Israel, God told Hosea to marry Gomer, a promiscuous woman. She bore him three children, including one who was called "Not my loved one" and another who was called "Not my people". She left him to go after her lovers but God tells Hosea to go buy her back & ask her, once again, to be faithful to him.

In and through Hosea's relationship with his wife, God speaks about his relationship with His people - how we are God's chosen people, but we turn away from Him and pursue other things (money, pride, greed etc) to fulfil our own desires, how punishment is required to make us right with God, how he calls us to himself & buys us back and how once again we are called "loved" and "God's people". What a beautiful summary of the gospel and all that God has accomplished for us in Jesus!

Through this song and through reading Hosea, God has really made me stop and think about 'love' - how what we understand of God's love for us & our love for others around us pales in comparison to the way Hosea and ultimately, Jesus describes God's love for us. Perhaps this is the reason that Paul, later on in his letters, prays for God to help Christians grasp how high, wide and deep God's love for us is, through Jesus.

I don't know what kind of day you're having today. Maybe it's a good day & you're poised and ready for the excitement of the weekend ahead. Or maybe, you're having a day like me, where you feel pummelled and overwhelmed by what today has brought you.

Either way, know this: God chose you. He chooses you, even though it makes sense for him to stay mad, even though we never deserve it, he chooses to love you, each and every day. He sent His own Son, Jesus for you, to bring you back to Himself. And there is nothing, no powers, no sickness, no fear or suffering that could ever take away this great & amazing love that God has for you.

Fear not, for have I redeemed you, 

____________, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, 

I will be with you,

And when you pass through the rivers, 

they will not sweep over you. 

When you walk through the fire, 

you will not be burned.

The flames will not set you ablaze. 

I am the Lord, your God, your Saviour

Since you're honoured & precious in my sight,

I gave Jesus in exchange for you, 

Don't be afraid for I am with you. 

Isaiah 43:1-5