“…I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.” Hosea 2:14-15
My first week of freshman year, I was apprehensive and nervous. I did not know how I was going to make friends and find a church on such a large campus-I felt very alone. For a while, I wished I had picked the college where my friends from high school had gone. I missed my home church and community.
I soon found myself holed up in a dorm, not using my free time for something more productive. I did not know what to do or where to go until the Lord laid on my heart an encouragement to attend a BCM event. I remember not being excited to go because I knew nobody, but I went anyways. Since then, I have found everything I was worried about finding, from a new church to a Christian college community.
Coming into college is new and different, and can very well be the ‘wilderness’ referred to in the passage. This uncharted territory can be lonely and dark, but God uses the wilderness to speak to you ‘one on one’. In these verses, God is trying to win back Israel; he does so by speaking directly to her heart, by making an impression. He is calling out to us to return to Him so He can redeem us and transform darkness into a bright hope.
If you ever find yourself unsure of where to turn in your first week of college, God might be leading you into the wilderness so He can speak truth and hope into you. Take the time to listen. God may be using this transition for your relationship with Him. Use the quiet to pray and ask Him to draw your heart nearer to Him.
The wilderness may not be comfortable, but God is the Almighty Comforter. He will use your deserts and ‘Valleys of Trouble’ as opportunities for you to search for Him so He can guide you out in a triumphant and victorious hope.
I look forward to meeting all of you!
Caroline Jerome, Sophomore
Instagram: @carolinetjerome
{originally published June 21, 2017}
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