Have you determined in your heart to trust God when faced with difficult circumstances? (82-2)
Through a set of very unfortunate circumstances Naomi became the leader of her family. She had a choice to become bitter or trust God. She made the right choice and drew others to God. Re-read the book of Ruth.
Naomi, her husband and two sons left Jerusalem in Judah and went to Moab to avoid the results of a famine. Her husband died shortly after the move and Naomi is left to live with her two sons and their Moabite wives for the next ten years. After the untimely death of her two sons, Naomi was left very vulnerable as a widow with two daughters-in-law in a foreign land and no male in the extended family.
Naomi was a realist. God had dealt her a bitter hand and, unless she acknowledged her situation for what it was, she wouldn’t be able to play that hand intelligently. Yet, even though the situation was bitter, Naomi was not bitter. Her attitude is revealed by Ruth’s response to her. After a very frank discussion, Ruth still wanted to stay with her. Ruth’s response is very telling concerning Naomi’s response to her bitter situation. People do not make this kind of commitment of loyalty to angry, vindictive leaders.
God had taken Naomi’s husband and two sons. Her hopes for a pleasant life had been dashed. All Ruth knew about the God of Israel was learned from the manner in which Naomi had responded to Him after the deaths of her husband and sons. But this observation was enough for Ruth to avow that “Your God (will be) my God” (1:16). Naomi’s reaction to tragedy had drawn a young Gentile woman to want to know God. A leader’s influence, especially in the most difficult times, is a powerful thing. Because Naomi responded as she did, Ruth’s name appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Have you determined in your heart to trust God when faced with difficult circumstances forced on you without your consent or will you decide in the midst of the challenge if you will trust God or become bitter? Effective leaders learn from Biblical leaders like Naomi and establish truths in their heart before they are in a desperate situation.
