124 Ruth 3 Sit Still and Wait
JMD Devotional 124 Ruth 3 Sit Still and Wait
Vs 1-5 THEN NAOMI her mother-in-law said to Ruth, My daughter, shall I not seek rest or a home for you, that you may prosper? And now is not Boaz, with whose maidens you were, our relative? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash and anoint yourself therefore, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, notice the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what to do. And Ruth said to her, All that you say to me I will do.
Naomi's instructions, which Ruth followed, clearly communicated to Boaz that she was interested in becoming his wife. I don't read any impropriety into her 'uncovering his feet'; in the cold desert evenings, that would get his attention so he'd discover she was there. She did her part, now the ball was in his court, the outcome was out of her control. It was up to Boaz to engage his kinsmen and negotiate her 'redemption.'
Vs 16-18 And when she came home, her mother-in-law said, How have you fared, my daughter? And Ruth told her all that the man had done for her. And she said, He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said to me, Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law. Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he finishes the matter today.
In our spiritual life, we are in a dance with God. There are moves we must make; and there are things we can't do, moves that God must make. Like music, there is an answer to every preceding note, and tension builds the longer the gap is before that note resounds; but come it will. We mess everything up when we try to play both roles; we have to know our role, play our part, and trust in God to do what only He can do. We can't 'help' Him, He doesn't need or welcome that: we just need to sit and wait after we have done our part. We can rest assured that God does all things well.
Dear God,
Please keep me from spoiling the show, from overstepping my place, from filling a void that You have deliberately left for critical effect. Thank You for displaying extraordinary patience with this clumsy 'partner'. Help me to get in sync with You; God take the lead.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
My Poetry
http://saintjamespoetry.blog.com/
(Some) of my Devotionals
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
Vs 1-5 THEN NAOMI her mother-in-law said to Ruth, My daughter, shall I not seek rest or a home for you, that you may prosper? And now is not Boaz, with whose maidens you were, our relative? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash and anoint yourself therefore, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, notice the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what to do. And Ruth said to her, All that you say to me I will do.
Naomi's instructions, which Ruth followed, clearly communicated to Boaz that she was interested in becoming his wife. I don't read any impropriety into her 'uncovering his feet'; in the cold desert evenings, that would get his attention so he'd discover she was there. She did her part, now the ball was in his court, the outcome was out of her control. It was up to Boaz to engage his kinsmen and negotiate her 'redemption.'
Vs 16-18 And when she came home, her mother-in-law said, How have you fared, my daughter? And Ruth told her all that the man had done for her. And she said, He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said to me, Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law. Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he finishes the matter today.
In our spiritual life, we are in a dance with God. There are moves we must make; and there are things we can't do, moves that God must make. Like music, there is an answer to every preceding note, and tension builds the longer the gap is before that note resounds; but come it will. We mess everything up when we try to play both roles; we have to know our role, play our part, and trust in God to do what only He can do. We can't 'help' Him, He doesn't need or welcome that: we just need to sit and wait after we have done our part. We can rest assured that God does all things well.
Dear God,
Please keep me from spoiling the show, from overstepping my place, from filling a void that You have deliberately left for critical effect. Thank You for displaying extraordinary patience with this clumsy 'partner'. Help me to get in sync with You; God take the lead.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
My Poetry
http://saintjamespoetry.blog.com/
(Some) of my Devotionals
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
posted by James M. Dinsmore at 4:05 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home