Music Monday: Stolen

God is many things to me.  I know Him as Father, Counselor, and Friend, but the book of Hosea challenged me to see Him as Husband.  I struggled with this concept for one obvious reason:  I’m not married.

The story of Hosea goes something like this:  God tells him to marry a prostitute.  Now, speaking from a singleton’s standpoint, I’d have to say I’d be pretty disappointed if the husband God chose for me was a prostitute.  Not exactly what I have in mind for myself.  But God uses Hosea’s marriage to Gomer (unfortunate name, don’t you think?) to illustrate the unfaithfulness of His people and His undeserved, lavish love for His people.

But there is another thing that surprised me in this book:  God’s relentless pursuit of us despite our unfaithfulness.  We run from Him time and time again, but he pursues us patiently, purposefully, powerfully.

This story reminded me Brandon Heath’s song, “Stolen.”

Stolen
(Brandon Heath, Nate Campany, Dan Muckala)

I’m a fugitive
Running from the life that I was meant to live
Looking for somewhere that I can lay my head
I’m lucky if I make it through the night
But I can’t sleep
Knowing that You’re one more step ahead of me
I’m a fool for ever thinking You’d just let me go
That’s not the way it’s ever gone before
I’m Yours

You catch me like a thief in the night
You hold me when I put up a fight
You chase me when I run from Your light
Because You love, You won’t give up
‘Til my heart is stolen
‘Til my heart is stolen away

I’m trying to understand that life comes after dying
To embrace that I’m a slave until I’m captured
But You would never use a lock or a key
‘Cause I am free

You catch me like a thief in the night
You hold me when I put up a fight
You chase me when I run from Your light
Because You love, You won’t give up
‘Til my heart is stolen
‘Til my heart is stolen away

I could change my name, cover all my tracks
But I’m wrong to think I could lose the past
‘Cause You found me here and You took me back
Once a criminal, now a prodigal

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