In God

Ruth 1:²² “So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.”

Yesterday, we began to look at the story of Ruth and how her husband left Bethlehem (the house of provision) and settled in Moab, and everything went south. The man and his two sons died, leaving Naomi with two daughters-in-law. But thank God for Naomi, she was smart, and figured it was better to go back to Bethlehem. She told her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to leave her and return to their families. Orpah cried, said I love you, kissed her, and left. But Ruth cleaved to her. Part three of the ‘Made For More’ series on the GFHPodcast deals extensively with the subject of kissers and cleavers. It is free, so I encourage you to download it and listen to it.

However, this is where our story picks up from. Please read Ruth 1:19-22. The first thing that stands out is how we blame God for many things. Did God tell them to go to Moab? So, you think that because everybody is emigrating, you too should carry your money, your investments, and go. If God has not sent you, you will be asking for trouble. For the longest time, I refused to leave Nigeria because God had not sent me anywhere. Of all my siblings, I was the only one living in Nigeria and there was pressure from everywhere to leave. But I stood my ground because God had not sent me. Things are different now because God has sent me.

The second thing that stands out is how real and genuine Naomi was. Some people are just too fake. Even when they have nothing, they will pretend that there is something. And that is why many people miss their helpers. God is saying, ‘Tell them you have a problem’ but you say, ‘No, a whole me?’ When Nigerians use the phrase, ‘a whole me’, it means they feel thoroughly insulted. My grandmother used to say, “If you keep quiet, your own will keep quiet with you”. How many times has God told you to open your mouth and just ask for help and you have kept quiet? In many cases, the help remains elusive, and you cannot blame God.

But the Bible says in Ruth 1:²² “So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.” You will arrive in Bethlehem in the Name of Jesus. The truth is as long as you are with God, the God that keeps His Covenant, no matter how bad things are, God always sorts out His people. I do not know what you are facing but I can boldly say that as long as you are with God, He will sort you out. Remember, prosperity is in the presence of God not in a location.

Prayer: Father, You are my source and I look to You alone for my provision. Father, open the store houses of heaven and bless me, in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen!