Friday, April 4, 2008

Call me Mara [bitter]...

First, let me say, "Thankfully, by the Grace of God alone, I'm not bitter!" But, what the title of this post is referring to is what Naomi, in the Bible in Ruth 1:20-21, had said upon her return to Bethlehem.

"20 And she said to them, Call me not Naomi [pleasant], call me Mara [bitter]; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty; why call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"

This past week, these words kept coming to mind as how I felt. I have felt these past several months that "the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me." I have been afflicted and tormented and left empty and maybe that's where God needed me to be. Maybe He needed me to become completely empty, empty of pride and self-sufficiency, empty of my goals or dreams, so that I could be filled with His Spirit, His goals, and His desires for me.

I like the part that follows these words of Naomi...Starting in Chapter 2 of the book of Ruth, God begins his restoration of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth. He works miracles in their lives and brings about physical and financial redemption to them through Boaz. He doesn't just leave them there, afflicted and tormented, but provides for them in miraculous ways and I believe He is going to do the same for me. He will bring healing and restoration to my life and redeem me spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially. He will work miracles within my life. He will fulfill His promises to me!

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