Unexpected Answers

In chapter 1 we get to meet Angel as an adult. She carries around so much hate inside of her and we can easily understand why. After everything she went through as a child she finally escapes and is right back in the middle of what she ran away from. It is very easy to see why she doesn’t have hope and doesn’t want to feel anything for anyone anymore. Is there a time in your life when you have felt hopeless? Maybe you have sat and thought, “__________ won’t make a difference anyway, so why bother.”

In chapter 2 we meet Michael Hosea right as he gets his first glimpse of Angel. And God instantly speaks to his heart, “This one, beloved.” At this moment he is excited and feels like the LORD is answering his prayers… but then he realizes what she is. He questions himself for a minute… surely he didn’t hear right. Here are some questions I found on chistianbook.com about this part in the book that I thought was good: Michael Hosea prayed all his adult life for God to send him the right woman, the woman worth waiting for. And God sent him Angel. Have you had a fervent prayer answered in a way you didn’t expect? Consider the story of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22:1–19). Now consider the Jews and their fervent prayers for a Messiah—and how that prayer was answered through Jesus. Was He what they expected? What does all of this teach you about prayer? About God’s character?

On to chapters 3 & 4 and we get to see Michael and Angel really meet for the first time. Were you surprised at the way she treated him? I think the author foreshadowed this when she described about how cold and hard Angel was to everyone. It is an eye opener for Michael; he has to ask himself what he could do to show her that he is different from all the other men. When we have been through something as traumatic as Angel it is so much easier to generalize and not trust anyone. I like the way the author shows us what each character is thinking and feeling and how they are getting to each other but the one doesn’t want the other to know it. How common that is in life; we realize we are wrong or feel sorry about something but our pride and fear stand in the way of reconciling with someone.

Michael finally gives up and leaves Angel there in the brothel. He decides that this can’t be what God has planned for him and goes against what God is speaking to his heart. Angel thinks that she wants him gone but deep down inside she isn’t sure. All these new emotions stirring inside of Angel have her thinking death is the only way out. I think even in these early chapters, Angel doesn’t believe she deserves Michael so another part of her pushes him away. Has there been a time in your life when God was speaking to your heart and you tried to ignore him? Did it work? As we continue to read we will see if it worked for Michael and Angel to ignore God.

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