Hosea 10

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy. Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” (Hosea 10:12, NKJV)

Israel had become hardened through generations of neglect and willful rebellion against the LORD and His commandments. She had been an unfaithful wife, and God was about to give her up to the Assyrians. Nevertheless, He was still calling out to her to repent. It was not His will that she would perish by the sword, but that she would turn and live. Sadly, she would not heed His warning, which had been her pattern since the kingdom was divided.

I believe verse 12 is a recipe for revival and restoration at any time and in any culture. Therefore, I believe it is relevant to us today. God is not willing that our faith, loyalty and morality should be sacrificed on the altar of pleasure, greed and pride. He is not willing that we should ignore His calling to pursue our own agenda. He calls to us to repent before it is too late; He wants us to turn and live.

If we sow for ourselves righteousness, then we will harvest God’s mercy and lovingkindness. If we choose to do those things that please the LORD, then He will bring restoration and healing. If our hearts have become hard toward God or others, then we must break them up with the plow of the Word and the power of the Spirit. We must seek the LORD with all our hearts and keep seeking Him until He comes and showers His righteousness and mercy on us.

Can this really happen? In our modern culture, could we really experience genuine spiritual revival and a widespread Jesus movement? We won’t know unless we first do our part.