My brother lifted his truck when we were younger. It looked like it was an off-road vehicle, and he liked to drive it where it wasn’t meant to go. Unfortunately, he was always getting towed out of the sand by someone who had a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Christians have a propensity to get off the path God has for them and then need to be brought back. Hosea shows us how to get back on track.
Hosea 12:6
“Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually.”
Simple but Challenging
After all of the dire prophecy and indictments to Israel, Hosea tells them how to get back on track in their walk with the Lord. As with most instructions in the Bible, they are simple to understand but challenging to implement. First, they have to return to God. This means first recognizing their sins and then turning from them (repentance). You will never get back on track with the Lord unless you acknowledge you are a sinner and there is sin in your life that needs to be made right. No one gets around this. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are or how many good deeds you have done to needy people. Your sin separates you from the presence of God. Take the time to get right with Him.
Observe Kindness
After you are right with the Lord, you then need to observe kindness and justice in your daily walk. This doesn’t mean you actually watch people do kind things, although there is nothing wrong with that. It means that you do them yourself. The world needs more people who are kind and just. There are many oppressed people out there who need a kind word and someone who will stand for justice. You can change the world you live in by observing these two things. In the process, you will see God work in some powerful ways.
Get Back on Track
The last facet of getting back on track is to wait on God. Remember when I told you that the instructions were easy but implementing them was challenging. Waiting on God is one of the most challenging things you will ever do. God’s timing is never our timing, but it is perfect. Training ourselves to wait on God’s timing never stops. Trusting Him during your wait can be painful. Most people get off track with the Lord because they can’t wait on Him. Learn to wait.