Wednesday February 23, 2022

Today is Wednesday, February 23 and this week we are exploring what the Bible says about leaving the past behind.

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Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Praying the Scriptures
Today is Wednesday, February 23 and this week we are exploring what the Bible says about leaving the past behind.

As I begin this new day with prayer, I seek God’s presence. I breathe deeply and slowly and focus my whole being upon the triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord God, thank you for loving me. I cherish reminders of your presence throughout my day. Teach me to open my heart and mind to receive the message you have for me. I am learning to listen for your still small voice speaking to my soul. Amen.

I join the ancient pilgrims in a song of ascents, singing the words of Psalm 128 as they journey together toward Jerusalem.

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord. Psalm 128:1-4

Pause and Pray

Naomi lives in Bethlehem. She is married and has two sons. She is a happy and blessed woman. A famine causes the family to relocate to a neighboring country called Moab across the Jordan River. While in Moab, Naomi’s husband dies leaving her a widow. Her two sons marry local Moabite women, ten years pass and there are no children. Then horribly both men die. Naomi is left with no husband, no sons and no grandchildren. She has no one to care for her and she is destitute. She returns to Bethlehem hoping a family member will take her in. She instructs her two daughters-in-law (Orpah and Ruth) to return to their families of origin hoping they will find the opportunity to marry again. Orpah goes back, Ruth however will not return to her homeland but trusts God with her future.

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.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. Ruth 1:14-18

Ruth had a choice. She could stay in her homeland, return to what she knows, go back to what is familiar, circle back to what is secure. Yet she decides not to. She refuses to go back to the past and is determined to move forward into a future that is uncertain and frightening. I consider where I see myself in the story. Do I relate most to Naomi, Orpah or Ruth? The act of stepping into an unknown future resonates deeply with me. Every tomorrow is uncertain. God is inviting me to leave the past behind and follow Jesus into the future he has for me. Today. As Ruth clings to Naomi, to what do I cling? Do I cling to the security of the past or do I cling to Christ? I will go where Jesus goes. I will stay where Jesus stays. Nothing can separate me from my Lord and Savior, not even death. I am determined to move into the future with Jesus knowing there are things I must leave in the past.

Ask: What would it mean for me to faithfully follow Christ into the future? What would I need to relinquish and leave behind in order to do so?

Pause and Pray

Lord God, you are my God. I cast all worldly things aside and cling to the cross of Jesus. I will not go back to the life I had before I knew you, nor will I return my attention to the tiny idols of this world. I will go with Jesus wherever he goes, even the most difficult places. I will stay with Jesus wherever he stays even in the most challenging situations. With Christ, I will persevere in love, faithfulness and loyalty. I read the words from Ruth again and listen for the message you have for 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.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. Ruth 1:14-18

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

I consider the emotions this passage evokes in me. Do I feel hope, excitement and anticipation over the future or do I feel worry, anxiety and fear? I reflect on the words that stand out to me from the scripture. I consider how they might relate to my current circumstances. Perhaps there is something in my life to which I need to “say goodbye,” leave behind and move on. Perhaps there is something in my life to which I need to “say hello,” welcome and embrace. Maybe I need to go forward with someone in faith regardless of uncertainty. I listen with the ears of my heart to the quiet whisper between the words on the page. God is speaking truth into my life if only I am able to receive it. Don’t go back. Leave it behind. Let go. Move on. Follow Jesus. Go with God.

Pause and Pray

Blessed Savior, you invited your disciples to “come, follow me.” Lead on King Jesus, for I am determined to leave the past and follow you into the future. Wherever you are going, allow me to go with you. You alone know what is best for me. I trust you will make a way in the wilderness, lead me beside still waters and guide me into green pastures. Amen.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19

I leave this time of prayer ready to set out on a fresh journey with Jesus, determined to serve the people around me with loyalty and faithfulness.

Amen.