God's Got This

In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. The man's name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there. Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband. (Ruth 1:1-5 NLT)

I remember the first time I started going to a church that was different from the one I attended as a child.  It looked similar, but the style of service was quite different.  People participated in the singing more.  The preaching lasted much longer than the 5 minute homily I was used to hearing.  Every service had the same components, but it wasn't as programmed as I was used to.  Overall, I enjoyed the experience.

The thing that got to me more than anything, though, were the people.  They seemed to be...I don't know...happy.  They had more joy in their lives.  They didn't seem worried all the time.  They just seemed to be more at peace.  I didn't really understand what was going on, but I did find it appealing.  So, we kept going there.

Over time, I found out what was going on.  Many of the people in that church had a strong faith in God - faith like Naomi.  Their faith wasn't in things that they had memorized and could repeat as much as faith in God Himself.  They had learned from stories, like Ruth, that God is bigger than any obstacle we face and His Plan is always best.  So we trust Him, look for what He is going to do, and do our best to follow Him.  They would say things like, "God's got this." So, just as Ruth trusted Naomi, I trusted the people in that church and continued attending.  I wasn't disappointed.

It took me awhile to trust God this much.  I always wanted to control every circumstance.  Over time, I've gotten better and better at letting go of my plans and trusting His.  I've learned to trust in the parts of His Plan He has already revealed, like gleaning behind harvesters and kinsman redeemers, and in the specifics of His plan He hasn't revealed yet, like Boaz.  I've learned to say, "God's got this."