“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.”

Hosea 6:3

I have some fledgling shrubs and plants that I grew in pots over last summer. Then, when winter came along I was concerned that they might not make it through frosty mornings, snow, hail and the gale force winds we sometimes experience here on this exposed hill we live on. So I brought the pots into the house, and arranged them on the window sills of the front porch. They survived the Winter, but they have lost their lustre, despite my loving care attention.
As Spring has started to make an appearance, I have moved all the plants outside again, so that they get natural light and can be watered by the rain. Slowly, their drooping heads have started to lift. Daily, they look a little less bedraggled. Yesterday, I noticed that my three lavender shrubs have started to flower again.

This morning, as I opened our bedroom blinds and looked at the grass in the fields, covered in dew, it struck me; that was exactly what had been ailing my poor plants! Tap water had been alright for a time, but the plants needed the real thing. In that moment, I recalled a scripture; a promise to God’s people: “I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily;
‭‭(Hosea‬ ‭14:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Dew is God’s provision to refresh the earth. In the small hours of the morning, all nature is still, quiet, attentive to receive from the dew the provision it needs to be refreshed. This is what God promises to be to us; His presence is like dew, to refresh us. Often, we don’t wait for the Holy Spirit to refresh us. We try to refresh ourselves, through the spiritual “Winters” we experience and become weary, dry, tired, fruitless, overburdened and overwhelmed.

KNOW HIM
In Hosea chapter 6 (the verse at the start of this post) Hosea entreats, “Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him.” In chapter 4, he wrote, “My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.” (Hosea‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

God will always meet those who seek to know Him. When we earnestly (that’s such a good, old fashioned word!) seek to know God, especially through His word, He reveals Himself to us. He rewards us with His presence and refreshes us. James 4:8 tells us, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.”

LIKE RAIN, HE COMES…
“He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” (Hosea 6:3 NLT)
The farmer waited with great anticipation for rain in Israel, as the rain was the only way crops were watered. Rain was seen as a tremendous blessing. When we anticipate and wait for the Lord with this kind of earnest expectation, He will always answer and come to us.

My poor little plants were doing “sort of ok” indoors, with tap water and sunshine through the window. Many Christians struggle through life, trying to get by on sort of ok. You don’t have to! God wants to refresh and renew us, if we would only come to Him. This is why Jesus says in Matthew 11,
“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jill 💜

All scriptures in this post are taken from the NLT and, as usual, are linked to BibleGateway.