Part 2 of our discussion on fear and love, we look at a beautiful passage from the prophet Hosea, and reflect on what could be going on in the wilderness.

One of fear's main functions, it seems, is to "protect" us where we feel vulnerable. Fear and shame often work in tandem, causing us, like Adam and Eve, to cover ourselves and hide from the God of love. Over time, we build structures and systems for daily life that are ultimately governed by fear. In God's strange economy, it seems that the wilderness, a place where everything we are familiar with is stripped away, is a gift. It is a gift to be exposed where we have hidden, so that we might know what it's like to be run by love instead of fear.

Hosea 2v14-15 NIV

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. 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."

Thanks so much for joining me!

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