Where He Will Find Me
When I read this book a couple years ago, I decided to also read through the book of the Bible, Ruth. If you have not read the book of Ruth, I strongly encourage you to do so with this study! This section of the book called Meeting Across Continents really makes me think of Ruth. In the first chapter of Ruth we see that instead of staying in a town where Ruth had the possibility of security in a husband and children, she decided to leave so she could care for her mother in law, Naomi. Leaving ultimately meant there was no way of ever getting married and having a family. Ruth gave up that dream because she knew following Naomi where God was leading them was better than staying where she was. WOW!
On the contrary, here we are in our little lives we have grown oh so comfortable with, scared to leave our towns because if we go where the Lord is calling us, we will miss out on the guy that is going to put a ring on it! Really that is what you think, isn’t it? I know it is what I think. I think that if I stay in my town or at least in my country than I will certainly cross paths with the man that I am supposed to marry. I have had thoughts of going oversees to work in a ministry I have come to love but I stop those thoughts from being anything other than thoughts because I am scared if I let that thought flourish and even start praying for that thought then I will end up far away from my family helping women who hurt so badly find Jesus; instead of having the dream wedding I have always dreamed of. That was really hard for me to write, but it is or was should I say unfortunately the truth. Today I decided to pray for that thought.
I love Ruth for many things, but I think the best thing about Ruth is she saw how important it was to care for Naomi. She gave up her life to care for Naomi. In my Bible (I have the Life Application Bible) it says that back then, there was almost nothing worse than being a widow-which Naomi was. The nearest relative to Naomi should care for her according to the law. However, Naomi did not have any relatives. All she had was Ruth. Ruth desired to care for Naomi. This selfless act, the Lord blessed incredibly. When they traveled to Israel-the place Ruth should never have been able to marry, the Lord provided Ruth with her husband, Boaz.
Do you know who God is calling you to care for? Is He calling you to care for a family member, like Ruth? Is He calling you to a ministry somewhere other than where you are at this moment to care for hurting people in the world? Maybe He is calling you somewhere that is far away from your family and will cause you to think if you indeed do go, you will miss out on your husband. More importantly though, are you open to seeing just where the Lord wants you to care for the hurting people in the world. Do you open your eyes to HIS desires for you? Or are you scared because if you do, you are thinking you will miss out on your man.
I love the truth written on page 47 of our book; Jesus can bring your life-mate to you, no matter where you live. Do you believe that? You need to! It is not about where we are, but what we are doing. If we are doing God’s will then that is where we will find the man God has hand-picked for us! Being in God’s will is where we should always desire to be even if it is in a different continent. I do not want you to think that when you finally submit completely to God’s will than that means you will finally get that ring on your finger. Being in God’s will is where you are meant to be single or married. In God’s will is where you will be the happiest GLORIFYING God by caring for those he has hand-picked just for you to care for.
As for me, I know that I want the man I marry to find me in God’s will, doing what God so desperately desires for me to be doing. When Ruth left all of the eligible bachelors in Moab-the last thing she was thinking was that God would bring her one in Israel, but He did! I pray that as we have faith to leave the eligible bachelors we see with our eyes, we find the one with God’s eyes He has for us.
Let’s Pray: Thank you Lord that we have Ruth to learn from. The way she so selflessly cared for Naomi is incredibly encouraging. I pray that you instill in us a desire to care for the people you have hand-picked for us to encounter in this life. I pray that wherever you lead us, we have the faith to end up in your will for us, meaning single for some of us and married for some of us. I pray that you help us to live by faith and not to live by our own wills. Thank you Lord that you have taken care of our greatest need already-SALVATION. We love you always and forever! Amen
Your Assignment: Read Ruth!! Please feel free to leave a comment below (your comments can be anonymous if that makes you feel more comfortable) about your journey of living in God’s will for your life. Or, share with us any time where you have decided to give up on an opportunity because you wanted to remain where you were just in case Mr. Right walked by.
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Love you all,
Diane