Anchor Devotional

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Blinding Bitterness

“I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” Ruth 1:21

Let’s take a moment to revisit Naomi’s original complaint. She is bitter because she feels that though she left Bethlehem full, God sent her back empty. She’s wrong in every respect! Naomi did not leave Bethlehem full. Her family was under judgment and simply went from bad to worse in thinking their problem was a lack of material bread rather than their need for the Bread of Life.

And she certainly did not return empty. Yes, she was stripped of her breadwinners. But she returned with a suffering servant in the form of her daughter-in-law, Ruth. She left under judgment and came back accompanied by God’s incarnated grace.

Naomi’s bitterness arose from a kind of blindness. Her eyes were closed to the heart and ways of her God. While you and I grasp the whole situation in the pages of the Bible, she couldn’t see the bigger picture. Remind yourself in your own times of darkness and grief that the Lord has governed over each joy and each hardship of your life. One day the “blindness” will lift, and we will see fully how He was caring for us all along.

SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Ruth 1:18-21

INSIGHT
We need God’s grace. But we also need Him to open our eyes to see His grace. Go to His Word daily to find assurance there.

THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Numbers 10-11
Psalm 66
John 7

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