Called Out

Read Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:13-15

As a little girl, my twin sister and I loved to play while my mother shopped in the department store. We would hide in the clothes racks or dance in front of the dressing room tri-fold mirrors, enthralled with the multiple reflections of ourselves. One time, I remember crawling out from inside a circular clothes rack, only to realize that I was lost. My little heart panicked. Then, I heard a familiar voice calling out my name, beckoning to me. I followed the voice and ran into the arms of my searching mom.

Today’s verses give three glimpses into God’s Great Plan. In these verses, we see how God desires to call His people out.

Glimpse 1: Hosea 11:1 refers to the historical deliverance of God’s people out of slavery in Egypt; Israel is called out of bondage. Yet, Hosea 11:1 is also a prophecy of what will happen 800 years after Hosea’s time.

Glimpse 2: Matthew records how Hosea’s prophecy is fulfilled when Jesus, who was sent to Egypt as a young child to escape death at the hands of a jealous Herod, was called out of Egypt and back to Israel.

Glimpse 3: God desires to call us out of our spiritual bondage to sin and death. Like a loving Father, God calls to His wayward children, and we must decide whether we will hide, turn our backs on Him and walk away, or respond to His call.

DIG DEEPER:

• God has always been in the business of tenderly, patiently and persistently calling to His children. In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve willingly sinned, God called out to them, asking, “Where are you?” If He asked you this question today, how would you answer?
• Is there something God is calling you out of and/or into so that you can fulfill His plan?

written by Lisa Johnston