BITTER BLESSINGS
Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze'
...She had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited his people in giving them food. Ruth 1:6b
One of the hardest parts of chastisement is watching others receive the blessing that we could have attained had we been obedient.
The topic I hear the most about from other Christians is how to hear from God. Just walk into any Christian bookstore and there is book after book and Bible studies galore. Some of the answers God has for us are simple and available at our very fingertips. James 4:17 says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” Certainly, there are many times when we have to wait on an answer from God, but sometimes we make it more difficult than it should be.
In Ruth, when Elimelech and Naomi left Israel for Moab, it was clear that what they were doing was wrong. Later, after Naomi had lost everything, she heard in the fields of Moab that “the LORD had visited his people and had given them food.” (Ruth 1:6) That was a bitter pill to swallow. She told her daughters-in-law that “the LORD had gone out against me” in Ruth 1:13. There was no mystery about it. In the Old Testament, God made it clear that if you did this, He would do that.
That said, it isn’t easy to stay put in a difficult situation, even when God has said so. However, sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. We have to experience the gravity of our sin during repentance before any joyous revival. The joy that comes in the morning, as the Psalmist puts it, would not be so precious if it did not follow a night of weeping. If you feel stuck, just know that God is building endurance in you.
Heavenly Father,Please forgive me for not listening to You in Your Word. Forgive me for making excuses for my disobedience. Help me to endure hard times for You sake and Your Name. Amen.
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Monday, 16 March 2020.
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