29 September 2014 by Reverend Dr Jai Kumar –
Every purpose of the Lord shall be performed. Jeremiah 51:29
Even in the midst of pain, separation and disappointment you are still in the purpose and protection of God. With God nothing just happens. With God there is no such thing as a co-incidence. Behind every scene God is orchestrating everything. Rom.8:28 tells us “all things work together…according to his purpose ” including things that are happening to you right now.
When Naomi left Bethlehem there was a famine in the land and they embarked to Moab a land of plenty. She was saying despite the famine at home she had her husband and sons that I believe were a great comfort for her. I believe she loved her family very much. She found hope and strength in them. But unfortunately the unthinkable happened. Everything she ever loved was suddenly gone. It’s really unthinkable at a glance, how any human being would be able to handle such a traumatized crisis in their life and we see people go through it in reality.
Nevertheless when she heard, after nearly ten years of staying in Moab that God had favored Bethlehem and the famine was ending she decided to return to her home. She felt there was no purpose for her to stay back when everything she was hoping upon suddenly disappeared and vanished away.
Here is what she says, “I went out full and the Lord has brought me home again empty.” Obviously there was every reason for her to be bitter because everything she had ever loved was gone. (Ruth 1:21)
YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THE PAIN UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN THERE
When the husbands died Naomi, Ruth and Orpah became partners in pain. Unless you have been there you will never understand what’s it like to experience what they actually went through. It’s easy for you to become a victim of a curse and be stigmatized in your community for whatever has happened to your life.
Listen! When you are hurting, don’t ever look for council from those who never walked in your shoes. People can’t give you what they don’t have. You will be wasting your time.
NAOMI WAS A WOMAN OF CHARACTER
Naomi told her daughter -in-laws, despite all she had lost, “go your way for I am too old”. I got nothing to offer you (Ruth 1:12). In other words she was not trying to hold on to them selfishly. She told them “don’t waste your time with me! You got a future! Start living again! Start dreaming again! My life is over but you have a future!”
DIFFERENT PEOPLE WILL HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS OF LIFE
Orpah I guess took the advice of Naomi and perhaps thought “it’s all about my life and my future, let me make the best of it. But the bottom line was that she looked at her own concern rather than looking at the concern of others and she returned to a mother’s home. There are several ways of viewing the stand that she took in leaving Naomi at that point of pain and disappointment. However after everything has been said and done the fact of the matter is that Orpah’s decision did not make her a bad person. It simply meant her part in the story with Naomi was over. And apparently she was moving forward to start to live once again.
Orpah went back to her own people and to her own gods. After the farewell kiss, Orpah separated herself not only from Naomi and Ruth, but also from the only true God the Bible says. It’s interesting to note that Orpah literally vanished from the pages of sacred book.
Certain people will leave your life and when they do let them go. Don’t try to beg them into staying. Your destiny is not tied to them. Their leaving is not a mere accident either. It simply means God has got something better for you in the future!!
Ruth on the other hand was determined to go all the way with Naomi into an uncertain future, Ruth sensed that her destiny was tied up to Naomi, so she said “I want to go where you go,…. Your people will be my people!..Live wherever you live….Die where you die” (Ruth 1:16-17)
GOD IS BEHIND YOUR DESTINY
God is behind every situation or crisis that we are facing in life. You are not where you are today because of your smart clever idea or perhaps you think you are gifted. No!! You are there because God orchestrated every plan and purpose to fulfill your destiny. When the clock is against you, God can move the world in your favour for you to bring you to that place of blessing.
Remember God is a God of second chance! Just as you think God’s forgotten you He can open the windows of Heaven to smile at you.
You see when Ruth refused to let go of her mother -in -law (Naomi) she was literally saying to herself “I don’t care about my life, my life is not my concern anymore. It’s all about my concern and my attachment to Naomi. She is a woman of character, I want to spend my whole life with her.” Ruth was willing to give up her future whole heartedly as a sacrifice to be attached to Naomi. I believe she felt absolutely contented to living with Naomi. But God gave her something beyond her imagination! Beyond what she could ever comprehend.
WHAT SHE GAVE WAS NOT WHAT SHE RECEIVED
Happiness doesn’t come from getting what you don’t have, it comes from appreciating what you do have. She was a partner in pain with Naomi. And she appreciated being attached to her. Just be reminded that God often accomplishes more through our pain then He does through our successes.
God turned things around for Ruth suddenly as she went along with Naomi.
You know what? I am very sure that Ruth would have never for a moment ever thought she would stumble over a rich and wealthy man like Boaz who finally married her. She found favour in the eyes of Boaz. I believe Boaz was moved by the virtues that Ruth carried in her life. That made him to decide to take her for her wife.
God can let you stumble into good things by being in the right place at the right time. He has a way of tripping us into blessing.
“Along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn darkness into light before them Isa.42:16
Note: Rev Dr Jai Kumar is an ordained & licensed minister of Covenant Ministries International N.J. USA. He is also the representative of Faith International Bible School for Malaysia & Singapore. He is the founder and senior pastor of Full Gospel Outreach Ministry KL, a member of ECCM, Spiritual Adviser & overseer of Capstone Ministries/Capstone Community Church -C3 (Bangalore); Co-founder and adviser of Kingdom Christian Fellowship, Subang Jaya, he is also the author of a book entitled, ‘God’s Time Clock.’
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