I’ve been reading the book of Ruth the past several weeks. I’ve read it numerous other times but something different jumped out at me going over the first couple of chapters.

Naomi is annoying. Yes, she suffered greatly with the loss of her husband and sons. She wasn’t near her friends and family. Life didn’t go according to plan. It didn’t make her response any less annoying for me to read. Her attitude turns to one of “woe is me”. She says, “don’t call me Naomi; call me Mara, God dealt bitterly with me. I went away full and came back empty.”

Compare Naomi to another individual in the Bible who also came up against some rotten circumstances: Job. His response to suffering was to tear his robe, shave his head, and fall on the ground and worship. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked shall I return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job make the decision to worship God and trust in Him even though his life was turned upside down. Even in the midst of his suffering.

Only when Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem and the Lord blessed Ruth’s gleaning from Boaz’s field did Naomi change her tune. She went from “the Lord has brought calamity upon me” to “His kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead”

How easy it can be for me to get caught up in life and issues and stuff. I worry about health, finances, family, decisions. It’s so easy to act like Naomi, feel sorry for myself and the circumstances and uncertainty that I’m going through.

I became annoyed with Naomi simply reading about her. How much more so do those around me get frustrated with me.  I imagine they are wanting to say “Just stop. Let it go. Remember who God is. Continue to bless Him even when it’s hard. Count on Him to help you.” They see the big picture as I’m caught up in my own little self-focused world. Not only is it annoying it’s also dishonoring to my God.

In Philippians we are told not be anxious about anything. Peter tells us to cast all our anxieties on him. In James it says to count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds.

It’s not okay to wait until the trials and worries are over and I am looking back that I trust Him. That doesn’t require trust and faith. Instead, in the midst of the battle, in the midst of uncertainty, in the midst of pain, I’m called to trust Him and to let Him carry my burdens however heavy they may be.

When life comes at me, I want my response to be like that of Job’s no matter my worry over medical results, loss, finances, decisions or uncertainty. I want to cast my cares on Him even while I’m waiting for the test results to come. I want my automatic response to be one of praising and blessing God.

It’s not easy. In fact, sometimes I may not even want to but how much better it is when I obey.

What have you found to help your response be one of praise in the midst of the unknown?

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Does this statement from Mark Batterson in Primal relate to you as much as it did to me?

I wonder if we’re so afraid of doing the wrong thing that we never do the right thing.

Ouch. I worry about what I know or don’t know. I think I can’t do enough or be enough. I compare myself with those I feel are better than I am. I ponder and wonder if I should have done something differently. Feelings of inadequacy, fear, pride, caution can so easily rule my life and consume my mind.

Do you notice a common thread in those thoughts? Self. They are all full of me, my, and I. When we are self focused, we are proud. Yes, even thinking thoughts that put yourself down are prideful – they center the focus on you instead of God.

However, when we are believers and recognize and get rid of that pride, inadequacy isn’t the end of the story. When I humble myself, I see my sinfulness and God’s holiness. I know what He’s capable of and that it’s not about me.

Mark goes on to say,

Don’t let that keep you from giving what you have, being who you are, and doing what you can.

The moment you put your faith in Christ, the best you can do is no longer the best you can do. The best you can do is the best God can do.

God never calls us to do something we’re capable of. God calls us to do things that are beyond our ability so He gets all the credit.

What a reassuring thought. I’m not dependent on my knowledge, my strength, my ability. God wants to use me and work through me in spite of my weaknesses even because of my weaknesses.

My job is to trust. To follow what’s He’s asked of me with faith.

Does this mean everything I do is going to be a success? No. At least not according to my definition of success. Ideas might not go according to my agenda; my plans might even seem to fail. Business ideas might be less than successful; a blog might never grow like I’d want it to; a large non profit ministry might not come to fruition.

But do you know what? That might not have been God’s purpose. He might be teaching and growing me, increasing my trust in Him, preparing me for something I don’t yet know about. There might have been one specific person that I was supposed to minister to, not thousands.

Let’s not get caught up in what we are or are not capable of. Let’s not focus on what others around us are doing. Instead, let our focus be on Christ and the right thing He’s calling each of us to do today. May we rest confident in His ability.

Does fear sometimes keep you from doing the right thing?

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