The Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephed or idol. Afterward, the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.

Hosea three, four, five sometimes we don't.

Know what blessings we have until we.

Don'T have them anymore. Sometimes it takes the loss of something to make us realize what we had. Sometimes we need to lose something to make us aware of how badly we really need it.

Because of their unfaithfulness to God and his word, the Israelites lost the messages from the Lord. He suddenly grew silent. His voice was no longer heard.

His people were even exiled. Maybe that's what people need today. They complain about what the preacher says.

And rebel against the demands and principles of scripture. Maybe what they need is for the preacher to no longer preach and the word to disappear. Maybe then they would realize that they actually need the very things they have rejected. Once lost to the Israelites, and once they tried and failed to live without what they had rejected, they again sought the Lord and listened to his word.

Following their repentance, those who were still living were allowed to return home from exile. Then all was made right again. Could history repeat itself?

Perhaps an America that has ignored, silenced, and even rejected God and his word should be forced to live in a world without the presence of the Lord, without the church, and without the Bible.

For a period of time.

To what level of filth and misery must we sink as a nation before realizing we need something better? What will it take to make people realize that they are living a lie and need a savior? How long will people try to live apart from the Lord before they realize.

That they need him?

This has been your thought. Thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to dailythoughtspodcastmail.com dot. Have a great day and we hope youll join us tomorrow as pastor Steve opens gods word to bring us another thought for the day.