April 30, 2020
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today, is from the book of Ruth 1:20 “ She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi, Call me Marah. For the Lord has dealt very bitterly with me. ”
From the above context we understand that Naomi had lived a very miserable life. She was married to Elimelech. and they from their home in Judea, to Moab. Suddenly her husband Elimelech died. Thereafter she gave her sons in marriage to the Moabites women. One was Orpah and the other was Ruth. During the course of time her two sons also died leaving their young wives as widows without any children. It was a miserable and painful time for Naomi. She not only lost her husband but also her sons. And this added to her misery. She felt loneliness, deprived of love and disgraced.
So she decided to leave Moab and return back to Bethlehem the house of bread. She was so frustrated in life that she called her daughter in laws and asked them to return to their father’s house. Orpah kissed her mother in law and left to her father’s house. She insisted that her daughter in laws, return to their own homes remarry and live a happy married life. But Ruth said, to her. “For wherever you go, I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people. And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die.” So Naomi could not compel her daughter in law Ruth, to stay behind. Ruth stayed back with her mother in law.
Now therefore Naomi arose with her daughter in law, that she might return from the country of Moab, to her own country Bethlehem, as she had heard, the good news that the Lord had visited her people, by giving them bread. The good news from her own country revived her soul and spirit.
Since Naomi trusted in the Word of God, that was sweeter than honey and returned back to Bethlehem, God changed all the situation of her life. The people in the city did not know that she had lived a bitter life in Moab. All looked at her with pity and sympathy. She was blessed with a new descendant, through Ruth who gave up her pagan heritage and followed her mother in law to worship the God of Israel, and came to Bethlehem. She was married to Boaz, a very rich man and she begot a son through him. Thus Naomi was blessed with a grandson. The people in the city praised Naomi saying “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a relative, and may the child be a restorer of life, and a nourisher of your old age.”
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, have you lost your loved ones like Naomi, and so you live a bitterful life or have you lost your job, and so you feel depressed, because you do not know how to manage your family. Have you faced a huge loss in your business or steeped in debts that you are unable to repay and therefore you feel so bitter in life. Don’t worry, believe in the promises of God which is sweeter than honey, then you will experience the goodness of God in the land of the living as Noami and Ruth Experienced. Just as God gave another opportunity for them to regain all that they had lost in life, God will help you to recover all that you have lost in life and live a successful life before others and crown you with double portion of blessings. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord we thank You for rewarding us when we believe in the Word Of God. Help us to be faithful when we go through severe troubles like Naomi and be bold like Ruth, while making decisions in our life. We too have lived a miserable life, like them. Therefore Lord, give us another opportunity to live a glorious life even in our old age like Naomi.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
