In their affliction they will seek me early

Hosea 5:15

I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

God has a purpose in all that He does. He discovered the deep and grievous sin of His people Israel, as is recorded in Hosea, and He punished them for their iniquity. Both Israel and Judah sinned and found themselves in captivity. They found themselves in great straits—in inextricable predicaments. They could not get themselves out. And what a great place to be! A wonderful place to be! It is a most exceedingly beneficial circumstance to be without help in ourselves, and to have no recourse or resource to get ourselves out. For you see! That is when we turn to the Lord! The Lord said He would return to His place. This means, He would turn away from blessing them and from guiding them. He would let them be for the time being. And all this was for a purpose. He wanted them to acknowledge their offense, and thus seek Him early. He knew that in their affliction they would seek Him early.

Is this not the way it always is? God may seem to be missing, to have disappeared, to be out of reach. You may feel you cannot find Him, cannot pray to Him, cannot get hold of His divine mercy. Dear friend, if ever you find yourself in such a bind, it may be because the Lord has left you alone for a moment so that you may turn to Him with all your heart. Because, truthfully, the promise has been declared that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Therefore, God doesn’t leave you. But He uses the very affliction of your life to draw you back to Him. For He knows that in affliction, people pray! In trouble, people begin to seek God for help! In the great straits of the soul, people begin supplicating for their own state. Despise not the affliction, but turn early to Him! For this is all in His love, in order that He may win you back to His loving care and into His everlasting arms.

Brother or sister, is there some affliction that your soul is traveling through? Is there a hardship that is insoluble? Dear one, turn now to Him. Know that the affliction is for your good that you may know the Lord better. Did not the psalmist say, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word”? And “Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me”? Yes, these things are done by His faithfulness. Let the affliction be a means by which you draw closer to the One who is working all for your good. Seek Him early!

“Dear Father, we thank you for your great faithfulness. Even in affliction, we know that it is for our good, and that Thou art drawing us to Thyself. May we seek you early, and look for your goodness in the times of trial and testing. For you will make us strong through it. May it not be wasted, but may these times of affliction be used to draw us to yourself as never before. And we shall praise you for it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”