Coming Home

Naomi is finally heading home as she and Ruth make the arduous journey from Moab to Bethlehem.  

Let us open our Bibles to Ruth 1:19-21 as we continue our study.  These are very hard verses to read.  Your heart goes out to Naomi as you feel the bitterness and pain  that she felt. 

The whole city had heard of Naomi coming home and called out to her saying ‘Is this Naomi?”  She answers them back in verse twenty saying “Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”  

You see the name Naomi means - sweetness or pleasantness and she felt it was improper for the condition that she was in.  Instead she said call me Mara which means - bitter.  You can feel her pain.  She continues in verse twenty one: “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?” 

My dear friend, are you going through some hardships and feel as if God is chastising you like Naomi did?  Are you experiencing a famine in your soul?  

Take comfort in knowing that God is with you and knows what you are going through, you are not alone.  We may not be able to control the circumstances around us, but we can control how we respond to them.  Take courage and don’t allow bitterness to set in but trust God for the outcome.