God’s mercy still calls us home even when we have experienced failure. Scripture tells us this repeatedly. This very fact gives insight into the heart of God, our Good Shepherd, who never tires of calling lost sheep back to the fold. As the book of Ruth unfolds, we see this very story of God’s heart for His sheep unfold.
During the era of the judges, a severe famine struck. A man named Elimelech from Bethlehem left with his wife Naomi and two sons to live in Moab. Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with her two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, who married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. After about ten years, both sons died, leaving Naomi alone.
Although Elimelech, Naomi, and their sons left Israel to live in a pagan nation, their mistake of not asking for the Lord’s guidance did not lessen the Lord’s heart for them. It is often in these situations when our circumstances are so difficult that we are more open to the Lord’s call upon our hearts.
God Stirs the Heart of Naomi
As Naomi contemplated her situation, something happened that would set her on a different path. Ruth 1:6 Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah. [1]
Even after failure, the Lord provides bread again in Bethlehem. God’s grace initiates a return before repentance is fully formed in the heart of Naomi. Hope often begins with hearing that God is still at work where we once belonged. This is the heart of the Good News of Jesus.
A drought caused the enemy to draw Naomi and her family away from their homeland, and now an abundance of grain in Israel would draw them back. Only in hindsight would Naomi realize that God would use the abundance of grain to bring her back to Israel because that was God’s plan for her life. It is always God’s plan to lead us back where we need to be.
God’s Grace
The Lord could have forgotten about Naomi because she left Israel, which was not His plan for her life, but He did not. It is often in grace that God returns lost sheep to the fold. How many people are spiritually far from God today, yet He begins to stir in their hearts and draws them to Himself. Only in God’s mercy can we come to the cross and be saved.
Today, you may feel far from God. You have made mistakes and wonder if you are worthy to respond to God’s call to come to Him. We are not worthy on our own, but only through the blood of Jesus, who gave His life for us on the cross, can we come to Him. Let these words stir your heart! John 3:16For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.[2] Don’t let your past keep you from Jesus because God’s mercy still calls us home. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/when-transition-is-difficult
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.