*“The Wounded Husband Who Still Calls Her Home”*
> “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you.” — Jeremiah 3:14
Jeremiah 3 does not reveal an angry Judge first—it reveals a broken Husband. God speaks not from a throne of distance, but from the ache of covenant betrayal. *I am married to you*, He says—not I was. Israel ran after vanity, traded intimacy for idols, chose lovers that could not love her back, yet God names the wound instead of denying it. His pain is not weakness; it is proof of love. He does not ignore the adultery—He demands that it be acknowledged, because *unconfessed betrayal always repeats itself.*
God exposes sin not to shame His bride, but to stop the cycle that destroys her. Even in rejection, His heart leans forward: *Return.* Even while wounded, He promises healing. *He does not replace Israel; He pursues her.* He does not minimize her unfaithfulness; He absorbs the pain of it. This is the scandal of *Jeremiah 3—a God who remains faithful to those who are not, a Husband who bleeds but still opens His arms,* a love that refuses to divorce what grace can restore.
Return is not a threat here; it is an invitation drenched in tears. The same God who feels the betrayal also promises, I will heal your backslidings. *Love wounded, yet love unbroken—this is the heart of God.*
Scriptures to Read today: *Jeremiah 3*
Your brother in Christ,
Apostle Ashok Martin