All You Need

My time spent studying the book of Ruth was short today. It's hard to get a lot out of just 2 or 3 verses, especially when the book you're reading is more like a story than anything else. It's so much easier to read a few verses at a time when you're reading something as jam-packed as James, 1 & 2 Peter, or any of the letters Paul wrote. I'd rather get nothing out of a reading than try and dig up something that's not there, though -- if God chooses not to speak to me today through His Word, then I'll wait and listen for another form of communication from Him.

Just keep that in mind, especially since this is a daily practice. There might not always be something to dig out of the book of Ruth.

Today, though, there was a little gem. When Naomi realizes that she cannot bring Orpah and Ruth along with her back to Bethlehem, she urges the two to return to their mothers' homes. She wishes a blessing upon them, that the Lord would show them kindness (sometimes translated as "unfailing love"), as they have shown to her and their deceased husbands. The two girls weep and cling to Naomi, and tell her that they want to go with her to Bethlehem.

But there is something else Naomi tells them that I wanted to focus on briefly today -- she wishes that they would find rest in the home of another husband. Back in those days, and even not very long ago in our own society, if a woman did not have a husband, she was in a pretty bad situation. There was very little a woman could do on her own if not under the care of either her father or a husband.

Something that hit me about this fact... sometimes I feel that way, too. Despite living in a society where women have equal rights and privileges as men, I occasionally feel like there are parts of my life (specifically parts of my ministry) that would be lacking if I did not have a husband. Foreign missions, for example. Yes, I could go on short-term mission trips with an organization, but if I ever wanted to reside in a foreign country and make my living there, evangelizing to the people as I dwell amongst them, how will I ever do that without the support of a husband? It can be dangerous for a single woman to be living in a strange land, especially if it's ridden with violence, whether she is preaching the Gospel or not. And preaching the Gospel may even increase her chances of being hurt somehow.

You do have to be willing to take those risks, though, if you want to devote your life to spreading God's Word where it needs to be heard. I understand this. But I also don't want to throw away my life in a reckless way when God may have another plan that would give Him even MORE glory. I still want to go to Colombia, if at all possible. But I know that there are some things God will have to provide me with before that happens... and that's where trust comes in.

I trust that God will get me to Colombia, if it is in His will, whether I have a husband or not. To me, it makes more sense for me to have a husband, but God can operate in whatever way He wants (and He will). Much like Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth, sometimes I feel like my options are limited without a husband, especially in the area of ministry. But if you ask God to use you to glorify His name, He will, no matter what your circumstances. No obstacle is too big for Him.