Managing The Mess

Managing The Mess

Bible: Ruth 1:15-22

Reading

The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me (V.21).

When we meet Naomi in the Bible, her life is a mess. She and her husband had gone to Moab searching for food during a famine. While in that land, their two sons married Moabite women, and life was good—until her husband and sons died and she was stuck, widowed in a foreign country

Though honest about her pain, Naomi obviously had a sense of who was in control: “The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me” (RUTH 1:21).

The Hebrew word for “Almighty” (Shaddai) includes the idea that God is more than enough in any situation. The word “Lord” (Yahweh) is all about His faithfulness as the loving, promise-keeping God. I love how Naomi put these two names together. Even in her complaint, she never lost sight of the fact that her God was a strong and faithful God. And, sure enough, He proved His ability to rescue her and His faithfulness to care for her to the very end.

If you are in the middle of a mess, remember that Naomi’s God is your God as well. And He specialises in helping us through our messes and showing Himself to us through them. Thankfully, He is both strong and faithful. So, when thingsare going wrong, remember who your God is!

WHEN YOU’RE IN A MESS, REMEMBER GOD IS MORE THAN ENOUGH.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries