One of the supposed indictments against God by some in the world is – a good God would not allow that to happen. This sense of things is held as so incontrovertible, that the unbelieving world walks away from God smug in some assumption that their logic is unassailable. Well, I am here to do some “assailing.” Folks living today are not the first to conclude that either there must not be a God or that something is wrong with a God who deals with us in ways that do not seem to help. Long ago there was a woman named Naomi. Her husband decided to move her and their two grown sons to a place called Moab. They spent ten hard years in Moab. While there they nearly starved to death. Naomi’s husband died as did their two sons who had married Moabite wives. With her world falling apart around her, Naomi felt trapped and desperate. She cried out, “Do not call me Naomi (pleasant); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” (Ruth 1:20) The only thing Naomi knew to do was return to her home in Bethlehem. With her came one of her Moabite daughters-in-law, Ruth. Her situation must have looked hopeless to her. That may have been how it looked and how it felt but that is not how it was. In reality, the ups and downs in Naomi’s life were a significant part of God’s work. Out of Ruth’s lineage, Jesus Christ would be born. Even though she was a significant part of God’s story, Naomi could not see it. The same is true for us. We are all part of the great drama that is God’s plan to redeem the world. The more we can perceive this larger perspective, the easier it is to see our current situation for what it is, under the sovereign control of a God who will spare nothing, not even His Son, to ensure our eternal salvation. Don’t let your current situation cause you to draw the wrong conclusion about who God is and what He is up to. Our brokenness has an answer, it is the love and grace of God who is accomplishing much more than we could ever imagine. Trust Him. Christ is the reward we seek, not how it fares with us in some temporary circumstance. With this perspective we raise the bar on our discipleship.
Brokenness has an Answer
RevDrGeraldWatford
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