Dear ones,
As we continue in the Book of Ruth during the month of March, Naomi returns to Bethlehem with her daughter-in-law Ruth. She is downtrodden, seemingly hopeless, and feels the Lord has rejected her for unexplained reasons she cannot fathom. She says, “Call me Mara [bitter] for the Lord has caused me great grief and bitterness…. The Lord has testified against me and has afflicted me” (Ruth 1:20-21).
It is so easy to drop into a deep emotional pit when circumstances appear so sad and hopeless. It’s possible to lose all sense of who our loving Lord and Savior is. Yet the nature of God has not changed. When Job lost nearly everything and could not figure out why in the world these personal tragedies were happening to him – and when Joseph’s entire world fell apart because his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt where he was falsely accused and landed in prison – unbeknown to either of them, the Lord was working out His long-range purposes. Later Joseph was able to forgive his brothers and say to them, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20). That goodness was seen 400 years later when God showed His mighty hand and miraculously led Joseph’s people, Israel, out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Well, the Lord also had long-range purposes for Naomi and Ruth. He was maintaining the line through which Jesus our Savior would be born. Christ’s torturous sacrifice on the cross and His glorious resurrection have given to millions, from every tongue and nation, access to a right relationship with their good and loving Father.
Is there something the Lord is allowing in your life, precious friend, that you cannot make sense of? When we don’t understand His plans and purposes, how important it is to have full confidence in the goodness of God. Psalms 4, 6, 23, 91 and 139, along with other passages, can bolster that confidence. One verse that Dr. Fuller often quoted is Romans 10:17 – “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Other members of God’s family who have walked with the Lord through deep valleys can also come alongside you to care and pray and add perspective.
Our OFRH team would be honored to pray for you as well. We are praying for a lady in Batavia, Illinois who wrote last month saying, “I am a new widow – your music keeps me going in the Lord.” And she ordered one of our CDs. So perhaps this month’s featured CD could encourage you and help to build up your faith. It’s “Gospel Favorites, Volume 3” which has 24 songs by the OFRH choir and quartet. The price is just $16.50 which includes shipping. (However, if you live in California, it’s $18.00 due to tax.)
Rejoicing in the goodness of God (no matter what),
Michael Khanchalian, D.D.S.