I Know, But Dream Again

What could we lose if we stop dreaming and refused to believe God? Last week we started talking about two very broken women, Naomi and Ruth.  Naomi was Ruth’s mother-in-law; sadly both of them had experienced devastating tragedies.  In Naomi’s determination to survive a famine in her land, her and her husband left to find a place that could support both of them and their two sons.  Unfortunately, tragedy hit when Naomi’s husband died suddenly.  Her two boys continued on this journey with her and found two wonderful women, Ruth being one of them, but again tragedy struck.  This time it was double the blow when both sons died—leaving behind their wives and mother.  Naomi made the hard decision to go back to her homeland alone, urging her daughters-in-law to do the same in hopes that they could still remarry.  Ruth refused to go back to her family and chose to stay with Naomi.   Nothing was going to separate her from this woman except death.

What do you say to people who once saw you as rich, wealthy and well-off only to return to them in poverty, broken and in need?  Well, after several years of being away Naomi faced old friends who knew her before her departure.  With love, they greeted her—with bitterness she refused comfort.

So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them.  And the women said, “Is this Naomi?”  She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.  I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”  So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. (Ruth Chapter 1 verses 19-22)

Naomi’s original name meant “pleasantness” but she no longer found anything in her life to be pleasant.  Rightfully so, she found herself worse off than when she left.  How embarrassing is it to take a step of faith to preserve what you have only to find yourself falling flat on your face?  She had nothing…but a daughter-in-law who was going through her own loss.  She corrects the people and says, call me Mara— which means “bitter.”  She saw nothing good about her situation; she took it all as punishment from God.  She felt forced to leave and now “the Almighty has dealt bitterly with” her.  Now she returned with absolutely nothing—but she did have something.

Sometimes when we are in the midst of the most painful parts of our story, we can’t see the truth.  Naomi’s definition of God was inaccurate, and that’s okay.   Maybe you feel that God has done some things to you that have caused you to feel bitter. Perhaps you feel like he took the most important thing from you, or allowed things to happen and you can only see Him as the sole culprit in the crimes committed against you.  Let me say, I understand, I genuinely do.

There was a time in my life when I was so bitter against God that I could feel myself slipping away.  I thought of Him as a true puppet master who pushes me into the most horrific situations only so that He could come to my rescue.  He could have easily stopped certain things from even happening, but instead, he allowed them so that I would need him.  When I was hurting and angry, I didn’t care if God was insulted by my view of Him.  

There were those who listened to my hurt and didn’t focus on the nonsense that came from my mouth.  They were just there for me, they showed sympathy.  Sometimes you don’t need someone to criticize your feelings but instead, one who is willing to listen to your pain.  Of course, to believe the worst about God is wrong and deep down inside you know that; however, I believe that He allows some leniency for a short period until you learn to adjust the pain.   

This past summer I did a series on the book, “The Shack.”   It was such a beautiful story but what was even more beautiful to me was the author’s ability to accurately depict the pains of a hurting person and God’s refusal to take it personally.  CLICK TO READ  God walks the roads of trials and tribulations with us—even though it may not feel like He is.  When the urge to turn and blame Him rises, I believe He understands; He knows we don’t have the bigger picture.  

Now, DO NOT misinterpret what I am saying here.  In no way am I advocating the right to speak of our Lord in an offensive and blasphemous way.  But when we are angry and believe that He is at fault or does not care about what we feel, He will allow a tantrum or two.  He allows enough slack for us to regroup and begin to see things clearer.

Bitter to Sweet Dreams

Even in her bitter state, Naomi continues to dream…

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you?  Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were?  See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.  Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak 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, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.”  And she replied, “All that you say I will do.” (Chapter 3 verses 2-5)

In those days, women were not allowed to work—they were forced to depend on a man for their provisions.  So when Naomi’s husband died, she still had her boys.  However, when her boys died, she was in a perilous place.  Ruth was not in such a sad state because she was young enough to find another husband.  Now the only saving grace that they had was if Naomi’s husband would have a brother, an uncle or any male relative who would be willing to buy back the property her husband previously had and was willing to take care of them.  A man by the name of Boaz was a relative of Naomi’s husband so he was considered as one who could redeem them.

When Naomi found out, she told Ruth how to get Boaz to see that Ruth wanted to be redeemed by him.  She tells her what she needed to do in verse 3. However one of her instructions is weird but it was their way of a woman proposing to a man.  Ruth was to uncover Boaz’s feet and lay down where his feet are.  If Boaz were to take Ruth, then both women would find themselves taken care of and able to look at tomorrow differently.

Who Benefits From Our Dreams?

Ruth followed Naomi’s instructions to the letter and in chapter 4 we read the incredible story of Boaz and Ruth marrying each other and that they had children.  Was that it?  Was marriage and motherhood all that she dreamed of?  When we dig deeper, we find out that the couple showed another side of God to the town. 

Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer and may his name be renowned in Israel!  He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”  Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.  And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth Chapter 4 verses 14-17)

So what could we lose if we stopped dreaming and refused to believe God?

1. A better taste of God:   (vs14) Naomi called herself bitter in the earlier verses because of the constant let downs and tragic losses.  She attributed her misfortune to the one who gives blessings.  The reason why God is not offended when we credit him with our pain is that he knows the plans he has for us. (Jeremiah 29:11).  When we are willing to dream again, we restore his name to all who witness. 
2. A chance to see God’s real character:  When Naomi came back to her hometown, Naomi presented God as a cruel thief.  He took away her prized possessions and left her abandoned and empty.  But in vs 15 all who witness everything said he is a “restorer of life” and a “nourisher of old age.”  When we keep believing that there is more to life than when things are thrown at us, we can identify the real thief (John 10:10) and the real hero in our story. 
3. A chance to see what God could do with leftovers:  Look at verse 15.  Naomi lost her husband and two sons, so she told everyone that she had lost “everything.”  But she had something left over from her tragic ordeal; a daughter-in-law that refused to leave her side.  Like Naomi, we are so focused on what we lost that we do not see what we have left over. Yes, what we lost was devastating…do not get me wrong…but thank God he never allows the enemy to leaves us empty.  When God is going to do a miracle, it is very rare that He brings in something new.   Moses’ staff was used for 40 years to shepherd sheep in the desert and God used it to part the red sea. God used Abraham’s wife who was past her childbearing years to bring forth Isaac.  He used the little boy’s lunch to feed over 10,000 people.  The same disciples who abandoned Jesus on the cross were used to start an unstoppable church.  That’s why God used Ruth to bring forth a child for Naomi, so the women said, she was more to her than seven sons.  In the natural she lost two sons but gained seven in her daughter-in-law.  God will use what you have to bring about a miracle.

A chance to see a dream that could outlive you:  Naomi’s dream was to survive and thrive through a famine, but God’s “dream” was to bring forth something so much greater.  Ruth and Boaz didn’t just have a child, but they had a child that would be the great-grandfather of the second greatest king that ever lived…King David.  That king would be the great, great, great…you get what I mean…grandfather of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.  She wanted to save her family from famine and death, while God wanted to use her to save the whole world from spiritual death.  What kind of God do we serve??!!   

I don’t know where you are right now.  Maybe you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and you stumbled on this website.  You have dreamed, you’ve pursued, and you have lost.  Maybe you be struggling to get over tragedy, loss or misfortunate and you do not know if you could trust God again.  I want to pray with you.

Lord, right now I thank you for my friend.  I thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to minister to them.  I lift them up to you.  God, I ask that you would touch home where they are and give them peace that surpasses understanding.  God, I don’t know what their situation is but God I pray you will restore their hope in you and help them to trust you again.  I ask that you will make yourself known to them so that they can know you are God.  I pray that the real culprit in their pain be revealed so that they can receive your love.  I thank you for everything you’ve done and all that you are going to do, in Jesus name. Amen.

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