Hard Call, Strong Faith: Obedience to God When It Doesn’t Make Sense
- meetgodattheedgeof
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
Hosea 1:2 (NLT)
“When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, ‘Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.’”
Wait... what? Marry a prostitute?
If I’m honest, I would’ve had some serious questions if God gave me that assignment.
“God, I totally see how that could make a statement to these people, but are You sure I’m the one to marry a prostitute? Why me? Are You sure this is the best way?”
Let’s be real—we’ve all asked those ridiculous questions, as if God hadn’t already considered every detail. But not Hosea. No drawn-out debate. No recorded hesitation. Just this:
“So Hosea married Gomer.”(Verse 3)
That’s it. Simple. Obedient.
Hosea’s life models obedience to God—even when the command seemed completely unreasonable. He believed God, so he obeyed. No conditions, no delays.
And it didn’t stop there. Once Hosea and Gomer had a child, they relied on God to name him. Honestly? The names and their meanings—like Lo-Ruhamah (“not loved”)—are not exactly top of the baby name list. I imagine there were some difficult, maybe even passionate, conversations behind closed doors:
“Wait… Lo-Ruhamah? That does mean ‘not loved,’ right? Are you sure that’s what the Lord said? I don’t know… it just doesn’t feel right.”
Still, they trusted. And in the end, obedience to God won.
Lately, the Lord keeps bringing stories to the surface that center on one thing: obedience to God. This one—Hosea and Gomer—is full of faith, commitment, and uncomfortable trust. They believed God's will was what was best for them and their family… so they obeyed.
That doesn’t mean you and your spouse or friend won’t wrestle through it. You might have some passionate exchanges:
“That’s a terrible name. There is no way I’m naming my kid that!”
And that’s okay. God welcomes those conversations. Because if both your hearts are set on being in His will, you’ll find your way through.
He’ll walk you through all the “why me?” moments, all the “this doesn’t make sense” questions—until you land on the one that matters most:
Do you trust Him or not?
If the answer is yes, then obedience to God is the only next step.
Trust in the goodness of God and in His plan.
James 1:25 (NLT)
“But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”
