I love Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love novel. It’s my all-time favourite, and I’m sure many will agree that it’s a classic. Inspired by the biblical story of Hosea, Redeeming Love is one of the few fictional works I know that so vividly portrays God’s redeeming and relentless love for us.
There’s
a scene in the movie adaptation that I’ll never forget. Michael Hosea rescues
Angel from the brothel after she had been beaten and left to die. He pays a
large sum of money to “redeem” her from Duchess, the brothel owner who couldn’t
care less about Angel—except when it came to selling her to men. Angel, it
turns out, was the highest-priced prostitute there.
Michael
brings her out of that place. He even asks her to marry him—again. He had asked
a few times before, but she always refused. To Angel, marriage was just another
kind of bondage—just another man wanting to sleep with her for free. Her life
as a prostitute, twisted as it was, at least offered her a sense of control, a
warped version of freedom.
But
this time, beaten and at rock bottom, she says, “Sure.” We don’t know if it was
desperation or sincerity that prompted her yes—but for Michael, it was enough
to hope. He takes her away, brings her home (20 miles from Pair-A-Dice), and
nurses her back to health.
Home
Is One Mile Down The Hill
While
still recovering, Angel determines she’ll go back and reclaim the money the
Duchess owes her. “I’m not staying here for long,” she tells Michael. “I’m not
playing into your ‘marriage-slave fantasy.’”
One
day, while Michael is out, she slips away. She leaves the ring he gave her—his
mother’s ring—on his Bible and disappears. After traveling about a mile,
Michael realizes she’s gone and rides out to find her. As he approaches, she
tries to walk away faster and yells, “Leave me alone, I’m going back!”
When
he catches up to her, she runs toward him, screaming, “You don’t own me!”—and
slaps him. Wow! And he doesn’t retaliate. Instead, what does he do? He simply
hands her a can of water and a jacket, saying, “You’ll need water and it gets
cold at night.”
Then,
he points in the direction she’s going: “That way is Pair-A-Dice—19 more miles.
Duchess and Magowan are waiting for you at the end of the road.” Then he turns
and points the other way. “That way is home—one mile down the hill. Fire, food,
and your husband. Your choice.” He climbs on his horse and rides away.
That
night, Angel limps back into the house. She winces as she lowers herself into a
chair. Michael looks up from reading his Bible, then gets up, dishes out food
for her, and places it before her. Then he pours water into a basin, kneels at
her feet, gently removes her boots—and washes her feet.
Stunned,
she asks, “Why are you doing this?”
He
answers simply, gently: “One mile can be harder to walk than twenty.”
Home:
What a Picture of God’s Love
Home.
Fire. Food. A husband.
This
story is a striking metaphor for how God loves us—unconditionally, patiently,
and with open arms. Home becomes a symbol of what we most need: warmth, food,
rest, and safety. I love warm environments. Warm rooms, warm clothes, warm
meals. That’s what home feels like to me—warmth, comfort and safety.
Pastor
Joseph Prince once said that two of the greatest needs of the Church today are food and rest—feeding on the Word of
God's grace and resting in the sufficiency of Jesus' finished work. This is how
we grow, feeding and resting well. Paul said something similar when he
commended the church elders at Ephesus to “God and to the word of His grace,
which is able to build you up.” (Acts 20:32)
One of the most beloved images of God in
Scripture is of a Shepherd. In Jeremiah, God promises to ‘raise up shepherds
who will feed His people’—and the
result? ‘They will no longer be afraid,
dismayed, or lacking (Jeremiah 23:4). Psalm 23 echoes this too: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack.
He makes me lie down (rest) in green pastures (food). He leads me beside still
waters. He restores my soul (peace).” Jesus Himself said, “Come to Me... and I will give you rest”
(Matthew 11:28). Romans 5:1 adds: “Being
justified by faith, we have peace with God,” because right standing with
God means peace with God and rest for our souls. This is the atmosphere of
grace in which we are safe in God’s love and we can grow in grace. Only
children who are well-loved and safe and cared for (adequate food and rest and
safe, loving home environment) can grow well and flourish, as against just
surviving but remaining broken.
Home:
Safe in His Love
Jude
tells us to “keep ourselves in the love
of God.” (Jude 1:21) The word “safe” implies protection from loss or
destruction. We are safe in God’s love because this is our home and this is
what God’s love offers: Protection. A home with no striving. A home to rest in His
love. A place at His table to feast on His lavish love (Psalm 36:8). A place to
lean back and rest our heads on His heart, like John the Beloved did.
I
think of the tender imagery about the Father’s love in Hosea 11 and Deuteronomy
1: “When Israel was a child, I loved him…I
taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms…I healed them. I drew them
with gentle cords, with bands of love…I stooped and fed them.” (Hosea 11:1,
3–4 NKJV) “…I lifted him, like a baby, to
my cheek… how can I give up on you?” (Hosea 11:4, 8 MSG) “God carried you as a father carries his child,
carried you the whole way…He went ahead of you, a fire by night, a cloud by
day, showing the way.” (Deuteronomy 1:30–33 MSG)
How
beautiful! Imagine God—our Father—lifting His baby to His cheek, bending down
to feed him. That is the heart of the Father. David once wrote: “Your gentleness has made me great.” (Psalm
18:35) What a powerful truth. God’s gentleness—His loving condescension to meet
us where we are and lift us up—is the Gospel of the Happy God. Jesus came down
into our mess to save us and seat us with Him at the Father’s right hand. This is
home. How precious!
My
Own Mile: A Note for Those Who’ve Struggled to Feel at Home
For
those for whom the image of home, fatherhood, or childhood is painful—I see
you. I’ve walked that path. I remember growing up with a fragile sense of
identity. I often battled low self-esteem and self-doubt. I sought validation
from people to fill a deep void inside me. And in doing so, I gave others the power
to manipulate and hurt me. I remember seasons when I felt so spiritually weak
and insecure. I constantly looked to others—especially leaders—for a word from
God about my life. I didn't realize that hearing my Heavenly Father’s voice is my
inheritance. The enemy had me trapped. I hero-worshipped people who ended up
controlling and wounding me. I couldn’t speak up for myself, especially when older
people harmed me.
But
God!
Looking back, I see that much of my restlessness and brokenness came from being spiritually malnourished—disconnected from the deep, grounding love of my Heavenly Father. But everything has changed. God, in His mercy, rescued me, nurtured me, fed me with His Word of grace, and gave me rest in His embrace. I’ve slowly been healing, growing stronger in spirit, and becoming more rooted in His love. Where I was once unsure of myself and my relationship with God, I now stand more grounded in truth and conviction. Last month, as I reflected on how far I’ve come, I cried in awe of God’s mercies over me—Jeremiah 23:4 became my testimony: the Lord has delivered me from what once weakened me and has gently led me home.
Full Circle: Love That Waits,
Washes, and Welcomes
This experience brings me back to while Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love is so personal for me. Michael’s
love for Angel is more than romance. It is a holy echo of divine love. A love
that lays down His life to save us even though we slapped Him, a love that offers
choice, not coercion. A love that waits at home with warmth, food, and rest. A
love that sees your limp, your wound, your shame—and still serves you a meal. A
love that stoops to wash dirty feet. A
love that gently says, “One mile can be
harder to walk than twenty,” and walks that mile with you in grace.
That’s God’s love. A redeeming, restoring, and ravishing
love. The kind of love that doesn’t flinch at our brokenness or run from our
rebellion. It stays. It stoops. It saves. And it brings us home. So if you’re
exhausted — not just physically, but soul-deep — you’re not alone. Maybe you’re
still in survival mode. Maybe you’ve been on the run for years. Maybe you think
you have to earn your way back to God.
Let me tell you: there’s a home waiting for you. The table
is already set. The door is wide open. And the One who loves you isn’t standing
with crossed arms — He’s looking out, ready to run toward you the moment you
turn toward Him.
Come and eat. Come and rest. Come home.
Not yet in the fam?
God is a good Father who loves you so much and wants you to be part of His family as His child. He offered His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pursue your heart and save you and bring you into the family. All you need to do is to receive His love and you can live in it and enjoy it for the rest of your life. Will you receive it? Then please say this prayer:
Father in Heaven, I thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, to save me from my sins and give me eternal life. I believe in my heart that Jesus died for my sins, He was buried and on the third day, He rose again, to make me right with you. I declare that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour. I thank you that I am now saved and I'm a member of your family. I ask that You fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me to know You more. In Jesus' name, amen.
Welcome!
If you said this prayer for the first time, you're now a child of God and I am excited that you are my sibling in Christ. Welcome!!! đŸ¥³There's a whole party going on in Heaven right now, on your behalf, like the excitement over a newborn baby. Will you please reach out to me and let me bless you with a resource that will help you get started on your journey of faith? Click here to do so. I love you and can't wait to meet you.
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