I am Gomer

Today I sit in Austin Java, once again, chilling and praying and reading God's word. I'm so thankful for this time, but I am also ready to have a job.
I have an interview today for an assistant position at a Montessori school. It's amazing how this came about, so we will see what happens.
I am taking pleasure in how He is showing Himself to me lately. He is giving me hope and is keeping my thoughts about Him.
I read these verses today, and I started crying...not full out crying...but tearful...and I'm in Austin Java...weird.

Hosea 2:14-16 "But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her out 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. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. In that coming day, says the Lord, you will call me "my husband" instead of "my master"."

In another translation it says, "Therefore, behold, I will allure her [Israel] and bring her into the wilderness, and I will speak tenderly and to her heart. There I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor [troubling] to be for her a door of hope and expectation. And she shall sing there and respond as in the days of her youth and as at the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that you will call Me Ishi [my Husband], and you shall no more call Me Baali [my Baal]."

I love this picture. The book of Hosea is a sweet picture of God loving Israel (His people), just as man loves his wife. Hosea loved his wife Gomer, even though Gomer was not faithful, and she turned her back on Hosea. God is "Hosea" and we are "Gomer". We do the same thing. We quickly lose our faithfulness and we turn and run from God. But Hosea was faithful, he loved Gomer and even loved her in her mistakes, her unfaithfulness and her brokenness. He took her back to be his wife.
God looks at us with LOVE even in our imperfectness, our failures, our mistakes, our unfaithfulness. He calls us back, and desires us and he does not tire.

Later on God says this in Hosea 2:19-20 "And I will betroth you to me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will even betroth you to Me in stability and in faithfulness, and you shall know (recognize, be acquainted with, appreciate, give heed to, and cherish) the Lord."

Good stuff!