Empty to Full

Ever feel as if the Lord has chastised you to the point you feel empty and bitter?

This is how Naomi felt as she and Ruth made the arduous journey to finally return home to Bethlehem and heard the women call out - is that Naomi? "But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” Ruth 1:20

Her name Naomi meant ―sweetness or pleasantness, Mara meant ―bitter. You feel her pain, verse 21 says “I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?" Ruth 1:21

Naomi had left Bethlehem because of a food famine, she returned with a famine in her soul. Her complaint began and ended with a reference to the Almighty ―El Shaddai, the name of the all-powerful God. But in the face of her deep tragedy, God would soon proceed to act in gracious mercy.

We cannot control the circumstances of life, but we can control how we respond to them. We need to remember that God is in control and that we need to totally submit our lives to Him as He fulfills His plan in our lives.