"He Will Respond as Surely as the Arrival of Dawn"

"Oh, that we might know the Lord!  Let us press on to know him.  He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.  'O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?' asks the Lord.  'For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight.'" (Hosea 6:3, 4 NLT)

This passage is at the same time quite poetic, yet quite disturbing.  First, the call of the prophet to, "know the Lord," and the call to, "press on to know him."  But then notice the contrast between God's faithfulness and man's unfaithfulness.  The Blessed Trinity, "will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring."  Yet in spite of this Faithfulness, man's, "love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight."  The possibility of this is always with us.  It is one possibility which keeps me in, "the fear of the Lord."

I notice that the times of greatest danger are the times when seasons seem to be changing.  Somehow with change the test of loyalty to Jesus Christ seems to be most pronounced.  Change can bring moments, some times prolonged "moments," of a sort of spiritual suspended animation.  Suspended animation can be defined as "the slowing of life processes by external means without termination.  Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means."  In Jesus Christ we don't die, but we can fall prey to "the slowing of life processes."  We are still breathing, we still have a heartbeat, we still go to meetings, "but they can only be detected by artificial means."

One could say with accuracy that the Biblical call is, "press on to know Him."  And "pressing" is key here.  If life has taught us anything, it has taught us that victory, overcoming victory and power for living comes to those who, "press on to know [Jesus Christ]."  Only in Him is, "the arrival of dawn," and, "the coming of rains in early spring."

Father, in Jesus' Name, Your response has always been a "surely" response.  I just pray that I always give you something to respond to.  Amen.
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When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2