For Kids · 3 min with a grown-up
For a long time, God's people had wandered far away from Him. The very last thing God says in the book of Hosea is not “go away.” It is “come home.”
Today's Story
God's people had wandered a long, long way from Him. They had forgotten Him. They had chased after all the wrong things. And now they were tired, and sad, and far from home.
So God called out to them. Not with an angry voice. With a soft one.
“Come back to Me,” God said. “Come back to the Lord your God. Just turn around and come home.”
God even gave them the words to say. “Tell Me you're sorry,” He said. “Ask Me to forgive you. I will.”
Then God made them a promise so kind it almost sounds too good to be true. “I will make you well again,” He said. “I will love you freely. I'm not angry anymore.”
“I will be like cool morning dew on your garden,” God said. “You will open up like a flower. You will grow tall and strong like a tree. You will smell sweet, like a garden after rain.”
“It is Me who takes care of you,” God told them. “I am like a tall green tree that stays green all year. Everything good in your life grows from Me.”
That is how the book of Hosea ends — with God holding the door wide open, so glad to have His children come home.
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- Have you ever been far from home — lost in a store, or away on a trip — and felt so happy to walk back in your own front door? That is a little bit how God feels when we come back to Him.
- God gave His people the exact words to say when they came home: “I'm sorry, please forgive me.” Why do you think it helps to actually say those words out loud?
- God said He would love His people freely — not because they earned it. How does it feel to know God loves you even on a day when you mess up?