Our Security is Found in God Alone (Hosea 8:14)

For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; so I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds.
– Hosea 8:14

We’ve spent the last 31 days on this podcast and each episode praying in anticipation of the election in the United States, and the plan has been to jump back into praying through the prophets in the Old Testament in a way that will lead us all the way to Christmas.

And it just so happens that the reading today that we’re going to pray according to is from Hosea 8:14. In Hosea 8:14 it says, “Israel has forgotten his maker and built palaces. And Judah has multiplied four to five cities. So I will send a fire upon his cities and it shall devour her strongholds.” Hosea 8:14 is the last verse in an entire chapter that basically exposes how God’s people, in the days of Hosea, had put their trust in their palaces that they were building, their cities that they were fortifying, other nations that they were looking to help them. They had entered into alliances with foreign nations.

This Verse Reminds Us to Find Security In God

Instead of looking to the economy or politics to find security and hope, we must look to God to provide us with eternal security.

In all of this, they had turned aside from God in their politics, with their business, in their armies, in the construction of cities, in it all they had neglected God as their king, as the one who alone can provide the security they need. As the one who alone can provide the strength they need. As the one who alone can provide the hope they need. So on this day, after those of us who are followers of Jesus in the United States have stewarded our votes in an election, let’s pause and say to God, you alone, oh God, have what we need.

Our security is found in you alone. Our hope is found in you alone. Also, our joy is found in you alone. And our strength is found in you alone, God. We do not look to politics, to business, to our economy, we do not look to people or parties in this world. We look to you. So we fix our eyes on you. And we say together, oh God, we need you, we need your grace and your mercy in the United States.

Hosea 8:14 Leads Us to Pray for God’s Grace

We need your grace and your mercy in every country where we are listening to this podcast episode right now. We need you and look to you. Oh, we find our hope and our strength and our joy, our identity, our meaning in you, and we pray that you’d help us to point people to you, God, in the aftermath of an election, amidst everything that continues to go on around us in the middle of a pandemic, God, help us to faithfully point people to you, help us to seek you, humbly, wholeheartedly, help us to lead others, to call on you, to save them from their sins. God, please use us to lead people to you. We pray.

This Verse Leads Us to Pray for Unreached Nations

And God, we pray for the nations of the world where they do not know your name. God, we pray for the Hazara in Afghanistan, almost four million of them, hardly any followers of Jesus among the Hazara. God, please cause the good news of Jesus the king to go to the Hazara in Afghanistan, we pray. Oh God, may no one say of us that we put our trust and princes and palaces and cities and businesses and politicians and parties. God, we put our trust in you and we know, we will not and we will never, ever be shaken. All glory be to your name, Jesus, all glory be to your name, God, our King. And we pray this on this day specifically, according to your word in Hosea 8:14. In Jesus’ name.