When you cannot understand His hand, you can always trust His heart. So much comes down to trust, whether we’re talking about human relationships or our walk with God. In his best-selling book, The Five Dysfunction of a Team, Patrick Lencioni states that Lack of Trust is the first step in a relational downhill slide. Author and Pastor Brad Jenkins encourages us to believe that God can be trusted; even when we don’t understand what’s happing or why it’s happening.
Guest Post by Brad Jenkins
The first funeral I ever officiated as a pastor was for my brother, James. He was only 27. And I was 26. The pain felt like more than we could bear.
One year later, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. It came out of nowhere; up until that point, I was completely healthy. By God’s grace, I am still in good health, but when I was diagnosed in 2007, it felt like the end of my story. We didn’t know how much longer I would have to live and thought that our dreams of having children were shattered.
My wife Christiana and I have suffered through miscarriages and have weathered difficult seasons with our kids. We have cried together over hard seasons and picked each other up when we were at our lowest.
We’ve faced overwhelming challenges where we’ve had to fight just to get out of bed.
You’ve been there. Like us, you’ve encountered catastrophe and felt completely lost. When you are there, what do you need, and what do you do?
Lost Along the Way
If you’ve ever been on a long-distance hike or out on the ocean, you know the importance of a compass. It’s ok if you are at sea or in a forest with no landmarks or signposts to navigate if you have a compass. A compass works by using the earth’s magnetic field and consistently pointing north. Even if you get lost, a compass can still get you home.
Recently, I have been walking our church through the Old Testament book of Ruth. I love the book of Ruth because it is such a profoundly human story – tragedy, loss, triumph, and weaving through it all, the kindness of God.
The story begins with Elimelek and Naomi.
“In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi.” (Ruth 1:1-2).
There was a famine in Israel, so Elimelek decided to take his wife and two sons to live in Moab. Important background note: God had strictly forbidden his people from living in Moab. They left the land of promise for the land of their enemies.
You could say they got lost along the way.
While in Moab, catastrophe struck.
“Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.” (Ruth 1:3-5).
Good things are ahead for Ruth and Naomi – including the birth of a baby, a King, and a Savior. But, at this moment, they don’t know that. All they knew was heartache and broken dreams.
The same is true for us. When we are in the valley of hurt and disappointment, we don’t know the good that is yet to come to us. All we can see is the tragedy.
That’s how Christiana and I felt when we faced our lowest moments.
You’ve been there, too. The details may differ, but you’ve had moments of difficulty and tragedy like me and just like Naomi and Ruth.
Naomi and Ruth were left with no husbands, money, land, children, or future. They had no hope.
Dead End? Or a Doorway?
Have you ever driven up to a dead-end sign in a car? It’s not a good feeling. Once, I turned down a dirt road off a mountain pass, thinking I was going the right way for quite some time, only to see the dreaded sign: Dead End. I had to reverse all the way back to the place where I came from.
Naomi and Ruth felt like they were at a dead end. But they weren’t. This story, which begins in tragedy, will end with Naomi married and holding a baby boy in her arms. Their deep tragedy will transform into unexpected joy.
God is going to redeem their story, just like he will redeem yours.
Sometimes, we feel like our lives have hit a dead end, but with God, there is no such thing as a dead end.
With God, a dead end is a doorway to a new beginning.
Move Toward Hope
What do you do when you get lost along the way?
What do you do when you encounter a catastrophe?
Here’s what Naomi and Ruth did.
“When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there” (Ruth 1:6).
The first chapter of this story is filled with hardship, but here we find a hint of hope.
Naomi hears that God has been kind and removed the days of famine from their homeland. She remembers who God has always been to his people. God had come to their aid time and time again. She thinks… perhaps he will be kind to me as well.
Naomi makes the decision we need to make when we encounter tragedy: She goes back home.
She moves her life toward God. She moves her life toward hope.
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? You move towards God. You refuse to get stuck where you are. And you move in the direction of hope!
God Can Be Trusted
If you have tasted your fair share of loss and tragedy, there are no words I can give you to erase the pain, but there is a truth that can keep you from giving up.
If you are lost, there is a true north that can keep you from staying lost. It is the simple phrase: God can be trusted.
When catastrophe strikes, grab onto God’s goodness, and don’t let go.
I love the closing line of Psalm 23. After describing God as our shepherd who cares for and leads us, the Psalmist prays,
“Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me, all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).
Do you know God’s goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life? I picture our dog, Picasso. Wherever I go, he is right behind me, even if I don’t realize it. If I turn around, there he is.
God is obviously not a puppy, but His goodness and mercy are following me around. God’s kindness is all over my story. No matter where I go, God is there with me.
Remember the compass?
The compass is what you know to be true no matter where you are.
You won’t always know why the tragedy occurred in your life, but you can always know that God can be trusted. And you can count on his goodness and mercy to follow you all the days of your life.
TAKE ACTION
When all seemed lost, Naomi remembered God’s goodness and decided to take a step towards home. In whatever difficulty you are currently facing…take a moment to remind yourself about God’s goodness and faithfulness. Recall past moments when he has been kind and trustworthy. Then remind yourself that he will do the same in the moment that you currently find yourself. Once you have done that, speak over yourself (as many times as you need to) the powerful phrase: God can be trusted.
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