Key Verses: Hosea 6:1-2
“Come and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind is up. After two days, He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.”

The prophets of God were given insight into the judgment for sin that God would place on His Son, Jesus, Son of God and Son of man. Jesus was torn and stricken in our place. But through Him, God heals us and binds up our wounds, and then there is the resurrection of Jesus “on the third day.” Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah. Hosea preached his message to the northern tribes of Israel and Isaiah to the southern tribes. Let’s take the time to read again from Isaiah 53. We can never read often enough Isaiah’s revelation of Jesus, the suffering Saviour.

God sent Hosea when Israel was at its lowest point morally and spiritually. Hosea’s message is that God promises to forgive, heal, restore, revive and establish God’s Kingdom, if only they will call upon Him. The northern ten tribes failed to return to God. The result was that they were scattered all over the world by their Assyrian overlords. The history of Israel is in our Bibles so that we may learn and not repeat the same mistakes and thus bring judgment on ourselves. Jesus gave us the “Our Father” prayer which calls out to God these words, “YOUR KINGDOM COME!”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, I pray that I will learn the lessons You are teaching me. Grant grace so that I may put what I’m learning into practice daily. I desire to please You and to live righteously before You! Continue to draw me ever closer to Yourself!! I pray this in the Name of the One who always loved and served You at 100%, my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:
There is only one city on earth for which the Bible specifically tells me to pray. That’s Jerusalem! (read Psalm 122). I’ve been praying for Jerusalem fervently over the past few days. More than 1,000,000 Jews and Arabs live in that great city today. The clearly-spoken threats of annihilation by Iran (formerly Persia) hang like a sword over their heads. A few years ago, when Iraq (Babylon) was about to complete their nuclear facilities, Israel bombed their reactor in what they considered a preemptive strike. Iran is about to complete their development of nuclear weapons in spite of the recent agreement with the U.S.A. I wonder and I pray. On “THE THIRD DAY,” Jesus arose from the dead and lives forever to, as Hebrews 7:25 says, pray for “those who have come to God through Him.” That includes me! Hallelujah!!! Have a wonderful Easter celebration soon!

Yours for encouraging prayer for “the peace of Jerusalem!!!”

David