Mara… The Bitter One
When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full but the Lord has brought me back empty. - Ruth 1:19-21
If anyone should be down on life it would be Naomi. In a foreign land, a widow, her sons are gone, and a daughter-in-law who refuses to leave her. What can she do now? She can go back home.
Going home required courage. She had left full and was coming back empty. Life had not been fair and she had little hope for the future.
Hardships can make us bitter or better – the difference is how we look at the future.
Naomi was seeking out the comfort of home while she worked out the details of her future. The devotions of the next two days reveal the blessing that was building in her through her emptiness. God will sometimes empty us so that he can fill us with a blessing that only he can provide.
Don’t stop the clock at the point of tragedy and declare that there is no use going on. Don’t let yesterday’s challenge become tomorrow’s prison. God will use your emptiness to produce a much greater thing than you could have produced on your own.
Trust God for the future and use your hardships to make you better instead of bitter.
Prayer: Lord, like everyone else I know, I have faced hardship in this life, and I haven’t always faced them with faith. Grant me the grace to trust you, even when the future looks bleak. Amen.
Message: Hardships can make us bitter or better – the difference is how we look at the future. Don’t stop the clock at the point of tragedy and declare that there is no use going on. Don’t let yesterday’s challenge become tomorrow’s prison. Trust God for the future and use your hardships to make you better instead of bitter.
Affirmation: My faith is based in God and his grace. I will not let hardships define me. I am allowing God to shape me into his image as I endure and mature through life.
Reflection: What do you think is meant by, “God will sometimes empty us so that he can fill us with a blessing that only he can provide”? How did God use Naomi’s hardship to ultimately lead her into blessing?
If you have enjoyed this devotion you can get an entire month of devotions. Just fill in the form below with your name and email address then click "Yes - Send it" This is a gift to you and it is a blessing to us to be able to serve you.
If anyone should be down on life it would be Naomi. In a foreign land, a widow, her sons are gone, and a daughter-in-law who refuses to leave her. What can she do now? She can go back home.
Going home required courage. She had left full and was coming back empty. Life had not been fair and she had little hope for the future.
Hardships can make us bitter or better – the difference is how we look at the future.
Naomi was seeking out the comfort of home while she worked out the details of her future. The devotions of the next two days reveal the blessing that was building in her through her emptiness. God will sometimes empty us so that he can fill us with a blessing that only he can provide.
Don’t stop the clock at the point of tragedy and declare that there is no use going on. Don’t let yesterday’s challenge become tomorrow’s prison. God will use your emptiness to produce a much greater thing than you could have produced on your own.
Trust God for the future and use your hardships to make you better instead of bitter.
Prayer: Lord, like everyone else I know, I have faced hardship in this life, and I haven’t always faced them with faith. Grant me the grace to trust you, even when the future looks bleak. Amen.
Message: Hardships can make us bitter or better – the difference is how we look at the future. Don’t stop the clock at the point of tragedy and declare that there is no use going on. Don’t let yesterday’s challenge become tomorrow’s prison. Trust God for the future and use your hardships to make you better instead of bitter.
Affirmation: My faith is based in God and his grace. I will not let hardships define me. I am allowing God to shape me into his image as I endure and mature through life.
Reflection: What do you think is meant by, “God will sometimes empty us so that he can fill us with a blessing that only he can provide”? How did God use Naomi’s hardship to ultimately lead her into blessing?
If you have enjoyed this devotion you can get an entire month of devotions. Just fill in the form below with your name and email address then click "Yes - Send it" This is a gift to you and it is a blessing to us to be able to serve you.
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