Hosea 2: 14-23
14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her.
15 There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will respond as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.16 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“you will call me ‘my husband’;
you will no longer call me ‘my master.’
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;
no longer will their names be invoked.
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the creatures that move along the ground.
Bow and sword and battle
I will abolish from the land,
so that all may lie down in safety.
19 I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
20 I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the Lord.21 “In that day I will respond,”
declares the Lord—
“I will respond to the skies,
and they will respond to the earth;
22 and the earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine and the olive oil,
and they will respond to Jezreel.
23 I will plant her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’;
and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”
Dear Friends,
The Lord is calling me aside for a social(s) sabbatical for 2026.
I’ve been hearing the quiet whisper since September/October and affirmed it in my heart each time.
Dad is holding steady, a tenuous balance like a tightrope walker between two buildings. We enjoy and un”wrap” each day the Lord has prepared for us. It’s a long valley walk, but I also think that when his passing comes it may be like the tearing off of a bandaid. Sudden and fast. For our sakes, I hope and pray it is peaceful.
“Ata” (wraps) is my 2025 Word of the Year. As most of you know I stamp individuals’ WOTY on a pendant for free. For 2026 I ordered a few strands of Larimar, a beautiful stone formed under volcanic conditions in the mountain streams of the Dominican Republic. Its light blue swirling color reminds me of “blue skies and white, puffy clouds” a prayer a friend uttered for my oldest daughter’s wedding. And which the Lord answered.
Each time we are praying and waiting for one of His answers all we have to say is “blue skies and white, puffy clouds” as a reminder to ourselves. He can say no, but we may ask. He might just say yes.
My pendant stamping offer stands for 2026. Just send me an e-mail to get on the list. The first 20 to ask will receive one for free sometime in January/February. My e-mail is foundinhisgrace@aol.com.
When my heart gave the final assent to take this sabbatical some online writer friends reached out to ask if I would write an endorsement for their upcoming book. My heart thrilled to even be considered but then I confessed my sabbatical plans knowing this might change their decision to ask me. It didn’t.
All the feedback has been positive and encouraging.
Thank You, Lord!
And in my Hosea reading this week, Verses 14-23 leapt off the page. I caught them in my arms and enfolded them in my heart.
make the Valley of Achor (trouble) a door of hope
This is my prayer: To cry out to Him from the troubled valley that I may be “enfold”ed by His hope.
All His ways are good.
