He Comes Walking...

“Her mother-in-law asked her, ‘Where did you glean today? Where did you work?’…Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working.’” Ruth 2:19.

No doubt Naomi had been spending her day trying to imagine the details of any failure or success for which Ruth had experienced. Also, knowing the mindset of Naomi, (blaming God for her circumstances), she was not very confident in good coming from Ruth’s efforts. When Ruth returned, Naomi wanted the details perhaps to validate her own bitterness of how God has ‘come against her.’ Naomi wanted to know ‘the where’ but Ruth couldn’t quit talking about ‘the who’. Isn’t she shocked to hear Ruth talk about the one who showed her extravagant kindness? Her response to this was much different than her previous response to Ruth regarding God’s provisions. “‘The LORD bless him!’ Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. ‘He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.’ Ruth 2:20. We have just witnessed faith restored! Can anybody relate? As soon as Naomi heard ‘the who’ her focus suddenly turned to fresh hope for a future. The details were no longer significant – the horizon had just gotten brighter, and life was starting to make sense again.

The details of our lives should carry a lesser significance than the One who works out the details in our lives. We should be talking about ‘the who’ instead of focusing on ‘the what, the where and the how’s.’ We all have seasons of doubt but God will come through in moving us from one season into a better season. We can trust Him to be faithful in orchestrating our lives motivated by His ultimate wisdom and unending love.

Even David had times when he felt that God had abandoned him. “In my haste I said, ‘I am cut off from your sight!’ Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.’” Psalm 31:22. He was basically saying the same thing Naomi said. ‘I feel you have abandoned me, God.’ Thankfully, when following God, we give Him the opportunity to prove His promises are true. He will answer, ‘Here I am!’

If we are patient and keep a heart bent towards God, He will prove faithful in restoring our faith through His movement in our lives. When we search the horizon for Him instead of the short sighted view of our circumstances we will see His image walking towards us.