Daily Bible Reading: Ruth 1, Acts 26, Jeremiah 36, Psalm 9, Luke 5
Pity Party or Trusting God?
Naomi had lost her husband. She was in a foreign land, Moab, and had two sons to raise. But there was a famine in Bethlehem and she dared not return there yet. Her sons grew old enough to marry and married girls from Moab. Ten years later both her sons died, leaving her with two foreign daughters-in-law. Then Naomi heard the famine in Bethlehem was over and determined to return to her homeland and her daughters-in-law started to go with her but at her urging one returned to Moab. Ruth persisted in going with her.
This book is the story of both Ruth and Naomi, but for this chapter I want to focus on Naomi. Granted she did have a lot happen to make her sorrowful but as you read through chapter one, she was having a veritable pity party. “I am too old.” “The Lord’s hand is against me.” “Call me Mara, (which means bitterness) not Naomi (which means pleasant, blessed.)” “My life is bitter.” “The Lord did it.” “I am empty.” “The Lord afflicted me.” “The Lord brought misfortune upon me.” Wow!! She was at the bottom of a well, looking down and not up!! Of course as we will read through the book of Ruth, things turn out a lot differently for her. But at this moment all looks black and she is groveling in the blackness.
This reminds me of a Snoopy cartoon I saw years ago. Snoopy was lying on his back on top of his dog house. It was raining. And he says these words, “Rain! Go ahead!! Rain all over me!”
Compare this with Paul in Acts 26. He is a prisoner only because he has been preaching Jesus which irritated the Jews. Paul could have had a great pity party over his situation but instead he uses the situation to preach to the king and his wife, the governor, high ranking officers and leading men. He utters this statement, “Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?” (Verse 8) My interpretation -- If God can do that, He can do anything. If you believe in God, you won’t find raising from the dead incredible. You won’t find any miracle incredible. You won’t find any situation too difficult for Him.
“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psa. 9:9-10.
We can put our trust in this Word of God or we can wallow in our problems and have a pity party. Baruch in Jer. 36 and 45 certainly could have had a pity party. His life was in danger for writing down the prophecy the Lord gave Jeremiah. But the Lord brought him this word. “Wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.” Jer. 45:5
The Word of the Lord to us is that it is not incredible that God raises from the dead. It is not incredible that God miraculously delivers from impossible circumstances. It is not incredible that God provides when it seems there is no provision. It is not incredible that God makes a way where it seems there is no way.
Let’s not lie on our backs and say “Rain, go ahead, rain all over me,” and have a pity party. But let’s take God at his Word and believe that with God nothing is impossible. We have an incredible God.
Tomorrows Reading - Ruth 2, Acts 27, Jeremiah 37, Luke 6
God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman
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