But Ruth replied, don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Ruth 1:16
Every experience we go through in life will either make our relationship with God better or bitter. The issue is not the experience itself but our reaction to it which is determined by our true knowledge of God. Naomi knew God but the experience of losing her husband and two sons made her a bitter woman. Thankfully she was only bitter about her situation and not toward God. Ruth, from a heathen nation, also experienced the loss of her husband, father in-law and brother in-law. Yet she declared her trust in the God of Naomi. If Naomi had been bitter toward God, Ruth would not have chosen to go back with her and worship Naomi’s God.
King David and Jesus Christ both came through the family line of these two women. You may be going through a difficult time now and even questioning God’s love and care for you. Perhaps you have even crossed the line and are angry or bitter toward God. It’s time to stop and re-evaluate the situation. God is not responsible for your bitter experience – it is part of the consequences of the fall.
The fact is: God is at work to convert your bitter experience into something good if you will trust Him – Romans 8:28. God is on your side and working for you, not against you.
Author: Rev. Sunday Bwanhot
Rev. Sunday Bwanhot is EMS/SIM Missionary. He serves as Team leader of SIM Culture Connexions; Pastors of ECWA Chicago and ECWA USA DCC Chairman.
