“Call me Mara” – Part 1
Ruth 1:20 (NKJV)
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 (NKJV)
A crisis can happen to anyone at any time. It can happen to an individual, a family, a community, or a nation. It is a time when a difficult situation arises and a decision must be made. How do we respond to a crisis?
Naomi and her husband had left Israel and gone to Moab because of the famine in Bethlehem. For a while, things appeared to be going well but then her husband died and she was left with her two sons. The boys then married girls from that country. Things got worse. The boys died. Meanwhile, Naomi had heard that things had gotten better in Israel. God had visited His people. She knew what that meant. She decided to return home.
The prodigal son also faced a crisis. He had left a home and family with all its comfort and protection. Now he was starving and homeless. He made a decision, “I will go home to my father…” (Luke 15:18). He did just that.
We often make decisions based on existing circumstances. Many men and women have left home and family to try to make a better life in another country but were ill-prepared for how things would turn out.
Many young people left home to live on their own because the rules were too strict. They didn’t understand that the freedom they craved had a price tag to it.
Many people left off serving God and attending church because it was inconvenient. They never considered all the possible outcomes of such a move.
Naomi returned home. She went back to her people and to her God. She might have been ashamed to go home, but she went. The people were surprised to see her and said “Is this Naomi?” She responded, “Do not call me Naomi, (which means pleasantness), call me Mara (bitterness). We understand Naomi’s state of mind in this situation. But our God and Father is ready to receive us in whatever state we are in when we return to Him. In fact, He is looking out for our return. We often want to explain why we did what we did but God calms our fears with a loving embrace.
This is the God we serve. A God of faithfulness. Christ for the crisis. Christ for every situation.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for being there for us and with us in every situation. We fall down, but You give us the strength to get up and go on. Father, accept our humble praise and thanks, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Read: Ruth 1: 1-22; Luke 15: 17-18
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 74: 1-9; Acts 9:32-43; Acts 10:1-23; 2 Samuel 23:8-39; 2 Samuel 24
