With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments!  I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:10-11

We pursue God because He pursued us first (I John 4:19).

This makes me think of the rebellious teenager, unwilling to listen to his parents.  All the while, the parents are trying to show their son what is best for him.  If their son only understood what they saw, perhaps he would not rebel against them.

He gives wisdom and understanding, but these we must seek out (Proverb 3:13).  When we search to understand the Lord, His commandments will be greeted with understanding.  Our goal should be to bring glory and honor to our gracious Savior and King.  The reason we study His word is to grow closer to Him and to continue to bring Him glory.  Why would we want to live in conflict against someone who loves us so much?

There is no right or wrong apart from Him, and thus trying to discern morality from oneself becomes a forlorn endeavor.

For Further Reading:

Colossians 3:16

Proverb 1:7

Psalm 119:105

Romans 15:4

Matthew 22:29

Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say “Here I am.” If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness

Isaiah 58:9

He sets us free from the bondage of our transgression (John 8:36).  Our God speaks, He is active and unchanging, He works His mercies in our lives and tells us how He wants us to live.  He gives us expectations, and, above all, He cares for our hearts.  In the Old Testament, He gave man guidelines, and in the New Testament, He testifies that laws cannot pierce the heart.  No, the Law was given in order that we might know sin (Romans 7:7-12).

Our God is not silent, but He is with us.  We can end the corruption because of His power, and when we are blameless before Him, He will answer us.  Even when He seems hushed, God declares that He is the there.  If you let Him set you free, you will begin to know His ways.

For Further Reading:

I John 5:14-15

Hebrews 11:6

Micah 3:4

II Chronicles 7:14

Psalm 107:28-30

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them

 on the tablet of your heart.  Then will you obtain favor from the LORD

Proverbs 3:3-4

                  We want to love, and we want to be loved by others.  When we are not shown the love we think we deserve, we become distraught.  Our expectations of how someone aught to love us are what cause us the most harm. But that’s the secret about love; you have to keep it.

This is the will of God: to guard love and faithfulness.  To live in communion with those He has placed in your life.  To honor Him and His saints and to allow yourself to be loved.  If we do not bind love, we will lose it.  We must show, give, and appreciate the love that has been given to us while there is still time.  And this—this—is what gives us favor.

Isaiah 43:5 reads “you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you,” God wants you to know that you are loved, and you are cherished.  You are enough because He made you enough.  God has placed specific people in your life who show you His love, but it is your job to receive that love.  We must cling to that love and remember the faithfulness in it.

God is gracious enough to place people in our lives to help us understand the value that He has given us.  This is not a suggestion; it is a command.  Let those around you love you.

For further reading:

I John 4:7

John 13:35

Romans 8:38-39

Romans 12:9

Ephesians 4:2

Her husband died.  Then, after that, her two sons died.  She was left, and she was broken.

But she wasn’t alone.

She was a stranger in the town that she once lived, but after all her tragedy she decided to go back to her place of origin: Bethlehem.  Her name was Naomi, meaning pleasant.  So we’re told, one of her daughter-in-laws, a new widow, “clung to her.”

This is the story begins near 930 BC with two women who lost everything that they loved, and left what they were familiar with behind.  This is the tale of Ruth and Naomi, but the story is so much more than just that

Left alone, Naomi would be forced to become a beggar–there would be little chance for survival–she had no reason to hope.  But Ruth would not leave her.  Staying with Naomi meant becoming a beggar.  It meant that, for the rest of her life, Ruth would be living meagerly praying that she could eat at the end of the day.  If she chose to leave Naomi, she was young and could possibly get remarried and have a secure future.  They both knew the situation was dire.  They had nothing to hope for.

But they remained faithful.

In the midst of their pain and despair, God said wait.  He does not disregard our pain.

Naomi became an aggrieved woman, even calling herself Mara (meaning “bitter”), but the Lord still took care of her.  God redeemed them out of great sorrow; Ruth married Boaz and was able to take care of Naomi.  Without the events that caused them despondency, they never would have experienced the love and joy that they were blessed with.

When you are in the heart of waiting and the situation seems hopeless, we must remember that it takes time.  My cherished friend, Gabi , has constantly been reminding me of Psalm 84:11, that “the LORD will withhold no good thing from those who walk uprightly.”  You may not know what you are hoping for, but we know to Whom we are hoping in.  He is the “compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6).

So, when the situation is ominous and your soul is in anguish, wait faithfully.  Cry out to God, knowing that He will act.  Be faithful to trust in Him.  Humble yourself and realize that His plan is better than the plans spiraling in your mind.  Like Naomi, you are not alone.  God has placed many in your life; do not shut them out when the conditions appear hopeless.  Allow others to love you, and do not take their love for-granted.

Love as He loves, and when your hopes become fragmented, know that He does not waste your pain.

For Further Reading:

Ruth

Jeremiah 29:11-14

Proverb 19:12

Matthew 6:25-34

Psalm 138:8

Deuteronomy 31:6