They That Wait Upon the Lord!

And she said unto them, " Call me not Naomi, call me Mara, for the Lord has dealt very bitterly with me." Ruth 1:20


As I read this scripture in the book of Ruth, I think about how we are so quick to decide what our Sovereign God, our Father, our Creator, our Rock, our Protector, our Savior has in His perfect plan for us!

How can we be so quick to decide that He has left us, or dealt very bitterly with us?! Why can we not always do as Isaiah says, "but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

If only Naomi could have known and trusted the God she served...if only she could have known her future and her contribution through the faithfulness of Ruth...the child born to her daughter-in-law would be the the bloodline of the Christ, the savior of the world! If she had known the plans God had for her, how blessed she would have been! How very differently she would have viewed things that seemed at the time to be a bitter inheritance!

If we only trust the promises of our Father God, through His Living Word! If only we can step out of the boat in complete faith...if only we can truly know, not just believe, not just think, but truly KNOW that our God is faithful and that He will prosper us and not harm us, that HE will work things together for good for those that love Him and keep his commands and are called to His purpose!

We can know it. He has told us in His Word and we can trust Him completely. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption...we are His kinsmen and He is our kinsman Redeemer! He has given us His word and every jot, every title is written in His Word for a purpose! Nothing is accidental. Every word, every line has a meaning.

God works in every little detail of our lives to accomplish His purpose! All we have to do is invite Him to lead, guide, and intervene in our daily life! He will not force us to be part of His blessings, but He has made it clear in each word spoken through His instructions, divinely given and preserved for us, that He wants us to have the promises and blessings given to those who love Him!

When God called Ruth, a Moabite, to be part of the Davidic line, He was showing His love for the Gentiles of the world, both then and the future. His plans have always been to include the nations of the world for Salvation! What a blessing for us to have God's written words, living and dynamic, to follow, to study, and to compare with secular history, and to know that He has shown us His plans and His will for our present life and for our future in eternity with Him!

Naomi didn't have that wonderful book. She didn't have the Holy Spirit to listen to and to guide her along. Her knowledge of God was passed on to her through family stories and through the books of the Law of "Moses". Think of the joy she must have known when she passed into eternity to be with God, and to learn, perhaps for the first time, that she was the grandmother of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David!

My whole point to this is that when we have been dealt with very bitterly, and when we suffer persecutions, and sorrow, and pain, that we remember that our Father is still in control and that we will someday know why these things happen...but in the meantime, let us "occupy" till He comes( Luke 19:13). Let us trust in Him completely. Let us Let Go and Let God do His magnificent planning in our daily life and then let us see what wonderful things can come from that seed of faith that is un-wavering!

Please pray for me as I speak at the WMU meeting this week (Oct. 5th). Pray that God will give me words to say that will glorify His name.

I am also hoping to start a prayer-walking team here in Portland. Pray for that, also. Prayer-walking is fairly new around here, so I'm hoping to encourage the women of this church to step out in faith and pray for the many things we need to take before our Father.

Please pray for Lora as she home-schools Ryan, Ian, and Zane. Please continue to pray for Michael and his desire to serve God. Pray for Allan as he builds our house....for safety and for his health. Pray for me as I work at the hospital, that I will be salt and light to those I work with that are lost.

I just partnered with my favorite radio station...you can hear it online at Family Life Radio! www.familyliferadio.org. On Thursday morning they are calling to get my testimony about missions, so pray for me, that God will use my words to reach someone!

The weather is so beautiful! We have had a lot of rain and fog. Monday morning on my way to work at 0630, you could not see one foot in front of you! It was also thundering and lightening and raining!

I took a nice morning walk today (off work today), and I took a dozen pictures of the misty foggy morning, the river walk, the beautiful Colorado Blue Spruce trees, the Scotch Pines, and the beautiful leaves turning their lovely reds, yellows, golds, and browns, mixed with the evergreens. The fog hung low over the river and what a glorious sight the Lord has given us to enjoy in this earth!!! If only I could have captured the smells: fresh rain, misty air, a spicey fragrance from the trees, and the flowers that are still lingering...roses and petunias, morning glories and marigolds...how wonderful!

Please pray for Ryan, my twelve year old grandson (just turned twelve) and is struggling between childhood and wanting to grow up all too quickly! That age is so difficult for both the child and the parents, who often are torn between wanting to please yet direct their child. Please pray that Lora and Jim will seek their counsel from God and His word during these years of growing and learning and changing....physically and emotionally. Ian and Zane will be ten years old on Friday the 6th. Ten is not quite so difficult because they still are being little boys, and mom and dad have been there with Ryan! It's always the one who is the one paving the road in childhood that we are always so worried about. Pray for wisdom for all our pre-teens and for the desire to serve and love God with all their heart, mind, and strength!

We had a very successful Missions Conference. It was a blessing to everyone. We had missionaries to Peru, Romania, and Turkey (in addition to Allan and I representing E.A.)

Hopefully, tomorrow, we will go see the new movie "Facing the Giants". It is the Christian movie that had received so much attention for having a PG rating because it was about having faith in God!! Please try to see it when it comes to your area!
Oh, well, God will make this work together for good, too! Publicity!

Please write to us and let us know how we can pray for you! We always pray for you and remember you each day. It would be nice to know how we can pray more effectively with specifics that we can take before our Father on your behalf.

I send my love to all, as does Allan.

"laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (the life which is life indeed). I Timothy 6:19 Grace be with thee!