Going with God

Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Ruth chapter 1 verse 16. Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled Going with God was written by Karen Pimpo and read by Tony Collier. Ruth chapter 1 verses 6 through 17. 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. With her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me.

May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband. Then she kissed them goodbye, and they wept aloud and said to her, We will go back with you to your people. But Naomi said, Return home, my daughters.

Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters. I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me, even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons, would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them?

No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord's hand has turned against me. At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye. But Ruth clung to her. Look, said Naomi, your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.

But Ruth replied, Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go. And where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die. And there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.

Going with God by Karen Pimpo. In The Courier, a film inspired by true events, the main character, Greville, is confronted with a difficult decision. He learns that a close friend is going to be arrested and will likely face a grueling imprisonment. Greville can save himself from the same fate if he flees the country immediately and denies association with his friend. Moved with compassion, Greville loyally refuses to leave and is imprisoned, suffering the same agony as his friend. Neither man betrays the other.

In the end, Greville is released a broken but true and faithful companion. Naomi needed a friend like that. When her husband and sons died, Naomi faced destitution and a long journey to her homeland. Naomi told her widowed daughter-in-law Ruth to remain in Moab and find a new life for herself. Ruth responded, Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.

Where you go, I will go. Ruth loyally accompanied Naomi to a foreign land and helped provide for their family. Ruth's faithfulness transformed their broken family into an incredible legacy.

Much later, her great-grandson David would become king of Israel and was called a man after God's own heart. Facing suffering with others is daunting, but if we surrender our own will and seek God's strength, he enables us to love people in extraordinary ways. In his power, we can choose to say, Where you go, I will go. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for the gift of loyal and selfless love that reflects your heart. Help us to surrender our will to you and, through your strength, walk faithfully alongside others in their times of need, bringing hope and healing. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. As you go about your day, reflect on these questions. Who around you is walking a difficult road? How can you choose to walk alongside that person?