These beautiful words from Hosea form part of our Old Testament reading: ‘I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, he shall strike root as the poplar; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom as the vine, their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon’.

Healing, love, blossoming … dwelling in the shadow of the Lord … all these, and more, are ours in Christ Jesus. May we remain close to Him, and receive His blessing this day.