Table of Contents
PRAYER
Our main goal in this time together is to build relationships and learn to walk alongside one another in all that God has called us to be and do. Let’s start by praying for each other.
Does anyone have prayer requests or personal stories of how God has been moving in your life that we can celebrate together?
RETURN TO ME TOPICS
THIS WEEK
We’re kicking off a new series called Return to Me: The Heart of God Through the Minor Prophets.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll walk through the short but powerful messages of 12 prophets whose names might be unfamiliar, but whose words reveal just how deeply God cares for His people.
This week, in a message titled “When Love Won’t Let Go,” Pastor Alvin shares from Hosea 11, where God opens His heart and wrestles with love, grief, and mercy toward a people whose hearts keep drifting far from Him. Whether you feel close to God, far from Him, or unsure where you stand, this message is for anyone who’s ever felt like they’ve gone too far or can’t get it right.
To start our time together, let’s begin with the following questions:
If God sent you a short text message today, what do you think it might say?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
SCRIPTURE
Have someone read Hosea 11 aloud. As you listen, notice any words or phrases that stand out, and ask the Holy Spirit to highlight something for you.
Hosea 11
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more they were called,
the more they went away;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of kindness,
with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.
5 They shall not return to the land of Egypt,
but Assyria shall be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
6 The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them because of their own counsels.
7 My people are bent on turning away from me,
and though they call out to the Most High,
he shall not raise them up at all.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.
10 They shall go after the Lord;
he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come trembling from the west;
11 they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.
God’s love remains faithful, even when we are not.
A Love That Reaches
Hosea 11:1–4 gives us a glimpse into the heart of God. He’s a Father who doesn’t give up on His kids, even when they keep pulling away.
It’s like a parent helping a toddler take those first steps: steadying them, catching them, cheering them on. That’s how God cared for Israel. He guided them, healed them, and loved them with a patience that most of us can barely imagine. But they still turned away.
And yet, He didn’t walk away. His love kept reaching.
Just like the story of Bob Garrison, a father who searched relentlessly for his lost son, Robert. He didn’t stop looking. Didn’t stop hoping. That kind of love gives us just a small glimpse of what we see fully in Jesus, the God who came after us.
Even when we resist, even when we drift, even when we feel too far gone, God’s love doesn’t quit. It’s a love that reaches for us, and finds us.
What do you picture when you think of God as a patient, loving Father? Is that image easy or difficult to relate to?
When you hear that God’s love “keeps reaching,” what does that stir in you (comfort, questions, or something else)?
Why do you think it’s hard for us to accept that God still loves us when we’ve sinned or turned away from him?
What’s one way God might be reaching for you in this season of life?
A Love That Grieves
You can feel the shift in Hosea 11:5–7. It’s like you can hear the sadness in God’s voice. He’s not just frustrated, He’s truly heartbroken. This is the grief of a Father whose kids keep turning away.
And it’s not just the sin that breaks His heart, but it’s their refusal to come back. That kind of stubbornness, then and now, leads us into patterns of sin that hurt Him, us, and others, even when we look like we’ve got it all together on the outside. It’s chasing what won’t last while holding God at a distance.
But notice how God responds. Not with anger, but with tears. Not with punishment for the sake of pain, but with love that aches for His people. Yes, He allows the consequences of sin, but never from a cruel place. His heart is always for us. His love is faithful, even when we’re not. It grieves when we walk away, but it never lets go.
What stands out to you about God’s grief in this passage?
Can you share a time when you felt someone’s love even through your mistakes or distance?
Why do you think it’s so hard to come back to God, even when we know He still loves us?
A Love That Redeems
In Hosea 11:8–12, God’s love goes beyond just reaching or grieving. It’s about redeeming. Even though judgment is deserved, His heart is full of compassion. He’s not quick to give up on His people. Instead, His mercy steps in to meet the justice we deserve.
But His mercy isn’t like ours. It’s unconditional and powerful, calling the lost and broken out of sin and into His love.
This merciful love points us to Jesus, the Lion of Judah, who redeems us through His sacrifice and resurrection.
No matter how far we’ve drifted, God’s love runs to us, welcomes us back, and calls us beloved.
What does it mean that God’s love is not just patient but also redemptive?
How does knowing Jesus as the Lion of Judah who redeems change the way you understand God’s mercy?
In what ways does Jesus’ sacrifice show us the depth of God’s love described in this passage?
Why is it important that God’s love welcomes us back no matter how far we’ve drifted?
CLOSING THOUGHT
God’s love in Hosea 11 isn’t tidy or straightforward or a passage to gloss by.
Hosea reminds us that God’s love reaches out to us even when we’re running away. His love hurts when we turn away, like a parent grieving over a stubborn child. But it doesn’t stop there. God’s love goes further. It redeems. It won’t give up, no matter how far we’ve drifted.
That mix of heartbreak and hope is where we discover a life-giving relationship with God and others.
So, whether you feel close to God or far off today, remember this: His love is still reaching for you, grieving for you, and ready to welcome you home.
Walking that out isn’t always easy, but it’s who God is and who He’s inviting us to be.
Let’s close in prayer: God, thank You for loving us even when we wander. Help us see Your heart clearly that reaches for us, grieves for us, and still chooses to redeem us. Teach us to trust Your mercy, only found in Jesus, and not run from it. Bring us back to You, and help us love others where we live, work, and play, just as You love us. Amen.
Alvin Brown, the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Church Fort Worth, brings over a decade of pastoral ministry experience and more than 20 years of operational and technical leadership expertise. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications Management from DeVry University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. He enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Mallary, and their three children and contributing as a writer to various media outlets.
