Quote for the Day
“…the Lord has…”
Today's Prayer
This week pray that those on the road will TRUST God for His provision in their lives. As you are traveling this week, ask God to allow your anxiety and frustration to be turned to TRUST in Him. Pray for those at home to have faith in God and His control over those they are missing.
Ruth 1:19-22
Ruth 1:19-22 (NIV)19 So the two women went on until they came to . When they arrived in , the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” 20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” 22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
Message
This week we see the homecoming of Naomi. She has been away for over ten years, and her life has been altered dramatically. She left with a husband and two sons and has returned with only a daughter-in-law. As I read this portion of the book I struggled deeply. I read into Naomi’s words bitterness and anger at God, yet others have read a strong sense of her struggle with God and acceptance of what she has been through. Either of these can be true as we look at what Naomi fully understands. She knows that God is in control of her life, as well as the world around her. She states, “…the Lord has brought me back empty…The Lord has afflicted me…” Comments from Naomi to her friends…friends she has not seen for over ten years!We all have times when we struggle with what God has allowed to happen in our lives or the world about us. The key for us is to continue to look to God for control. If we seek to move away from His control we will only feel more frustrated and anxious. God has promised to protect and hold us through anything we face here on earth. The key word being “through”. The task assigned to us is to trust IN HIM and to allow His will to be accomplished.
