Sometimes, we think we’re empty when we’re really full. And sadly, sometimes we think we are full when we’re really empty. Discouragement and wandering away from God can happen to a Christian. But thankfully, restoration and coming back home can happen, too.
Perhaps your thinking is skewed just now. Maybe you are lamenting your plight and wiping your eyes in desperation. “Life’s horrible. Where are the good times? It can’t get any worse than this. I’ve reached the bottom. I’m on empty! I was waiting for God to step in and do His thing to get me out of this mess, but nothing’s happening, so I’ll have to do something myself.”
Are you wanting to intervene and forget about waiting for God any longer? Dangerous!
An older lady returns to her home village after an extended absence. The mere passing of years alone could not account for this woman’s brokenness, haggardness and fragility. Who is it? She looks familiar. Could it possibly be Naomi coming back?
“Naomi, is it you? Are you our Naomi?” The people of Bethlehem were shocked at the sight of this forlorn and desolate woman.
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?” (Ruth 1:19-21)
“Yes, it’s me. The Lord has brought me back home. I’ve been away for too long. Life has been hard since I left. Real hard. I’ve experienced the emptiness and bitterness of living a life out of God’s will and away from God’s place.”
“We left here in a panic mode. Elimelech thought the famine would never end. I’ll never forget the day we packed up everything, said our goodbyes, took our boys and left. We had it all rationalized in our own minds. The famine really was real. We weren’t delusional. The leaves were really withering, and the flowers were wilting. The grass was brown, and the clay had turned to dust. We had hit bottom. Totally empty! We saw no future in Bethlehem. Moab, the land of strange gods, seemed so much brighter.”
“And Naomi, may we ask you – how long did Moab continue to shine with brightness?”
“Moab couldn’t have been darker or emptier! It was such a sickening and vulnerable feeling knowing we were away from God. We kept trying to convince ourselves that we did the right thing. There was no spiritual bond with the people of Moab. I felt so alone! And then Elimelech died. Within a few short years, both our boys died.”
“So many times on my knees, I would tell the Lord how good we really had it back in Bethlehem where I belonged — how full things really were despite the severe famine. There’s nothing so empty as being away from God’s place and suffering through one trial after another, all alone, out of the mind and will of God. Crying took on a new meaning when I was in Moab! We left Bethlehem full – even though we thought the gauge was registering empty. Emptiness, as we viewed it, was, in fact, full in contrast to the real emptiness we experienced away from God. We went out full, and I am coming home empty.”
Naomi seemed to blame God for the misery in Moab, when she should have taken full responsibility for stepping out of the mind of God in the first place. Our choices always have consequences. However, she does give the Lord credit for graciously bringing her back home.
Dear Child of God, perhaps you are experiencing a severe famine. There’s no break in the clouds – no patch of blue above your head. It’s a huge trial. But now is not the time to grab the steering wheel and veer off in another direction. Trust God. God is always good (never bad), and He knows what He is doing and where He is going with you. He never loses control, even when we feel things are spinning out of control.
One day, an unknown Psalmist talked to his own soul about his feelings and where he was in life. He recorded in his journal that day these words:
Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Saviour and my God. Psalms 43:5
In conclusion, if you have been away for a while, are you thinking about coming home? Coming home where you belong. A loving embrace awaits you. Now is the time to turn around and come home. Even if you don’t enjoy this genre of music, take three minutes and watch this old recording of the Statler Brothers singing: “Lord, I’m Coming Home.“ Embrace the lyrics personally. Replace emptiness with fullness.
We can’t undo or unravel our past, but from this day forward, we can live the rest of our lives to the will of God. (1Peter 4: 1-2)
Don’t hesitate to share a thought from your personal experience or a verse that has been a blessing to you – in the comment section below. Or, if you would like to reach out privately, click below.
