Finding Peace and Hope in Crisis
by Sharon Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:27
Dear Friends,
Throughout the year, our thirteen-year-old granddaughter, Eva, often says, “I love the fall most of all. The scents, the beautiful leaves, the weather, the way Mommy decorates the house. It just feels peaceful.” Several of my friends pull out their fall décor and pumpkin scented candles early in September, eager to put the hot summer behind and looking forward to the cooler days that invite us to snuggle under a fuzzy blanket and enjoy a good book. For most people fall means the holidays are coming and represent joy, fun, presents, and family gatherings. For others, not so much. The events of 2020 are magnifying the anxiousness of the unknowns and we long for someone to lead us out of life’s waiting room. This week, Elizabeth Turnage is our guest writer and she knows all about the waiting room. Elizabeth has written two devotional books, The Waiting Room and her most recent From Recovery to Restoration. We featured an excerpt from The Waiting Room in a What She Said series (Link below) and I had the privilege of interviewing Elizabeth for our Help & Hope podcast (link below). It seems so right for us to hear from Elizabeth as we approach the holiday season, especially if we are longing for recovery and restoration after an excruciating waiting room experience. Here is a glimpse of the hope Elizabeth offers in From Recovery to Restoration:
Call Me Bitter
Elizabeth Turnage, Guest Writer
Today’s Treasure
Call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.
Ruth 1:20, NLT
First, a famine sent her small family into exile in a foreign land. Then her husband died. Then her two sons married unbelieving women. Then her two sons died. Naomi knew something about profound loss. And she wasn’t so sure recovery was possible.
In her bottomless grief, Naomi turned sour. When she and her daughter-in-law returned to Bethlehem, her appearance was so darkened by disaster that the women of the town asked, “Is it really Naomi?” (Ruth 1:19 NLT). The Hebrew makes a play on words: Naomi’s name means “pleasant”—we can imagine the women gesturing toward Naomi, asking, “Is this ‘pleasant’?”
Indeed, Naomi was the antithesis of pleasant at this moment, and she wasn’t shy about saying so: “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 1:20-21). “Mara” means bitter. Naomi says flatly, “Call me bitter.”
Naomi’s bitterness was caused by temporary faith amnesia: she had forgotten the Israelites’ story of wilderness redemption; she had forgotten God’s transformation of the bitter waters at Marah (Exodus 15:23-26). Naomi’s bitterness was also caused by temporary hope amnesia; she had forgotten to look for redemption in the midst of loss. Bitterness can lead to blindness, causing us to miss God’s provision in our painful circumstances.
The good news of the gospel is that the Lord does not condemn us for our gospel amnesia. The Lord never forgets to be faithful; the Lord never forgets to restore our hope; the Lord always remembers to love us. The Lord redeems and restores even when we are at our worst. Naomi’s hope was gradually awakened, first by Boaz’s kindness to Ruth in the field (Ruth 2:20) and then by the blessing of a grandchild (Ruth 4:13). By the end of the story, the same women who couldn’t reconcile Naomi’s appearance with the name “pleasant” were celebrating the reason for her renewed hope: “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for you and your family! May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age” (Ruth 4:14-15 NLT). Indeed, Naomi’s grandchild, Obed, was the grandfather of King David and an ancestor of King Jesus, the ultimate restorer of youth.
Dear friends, when the darkness closes in and your heart turns sour, look back, look up, look around. The Lord has redeemed and will redeem again. Never make the mistake of thinking the story is over until it’s over. You’ll know when it’s over, because final restoration will be so very sweet.
Prayer
Lord, Almighty, You give and you take away. Forgive our amnesia, forgive us for forgetting the mighty works you’ve done in the past. Forgive our stubbornness, our refusal to look for your provision in the present. Soften and sweeten our hearts when they become bitter because of loss. In Jesus’s redeeming name we pray. Amen.
Further Encouragement
Read Ruth 1-4.
Listen to “Fool’s Gold” by Sandra McCracken.
For Reflection
Have you felt bitter or angry toward God in your grief? Write a prayer telling God what’s on your mind. Ask him to reveal his redemptive work in your life.
Excerpt from Recovery to Restoration: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace and Hope in Crisis, by Elizabeth Turnage; used with permission.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Read Elizabeth’s Daily Treasure devotionals: https://www.markinc.org/daily-treasure-devotion/2020/6/1/sunday-template-n62bt
Listen to Hope in Waiting, A Conversation with Elizabeth Turnage
https://www.markinc.org/help-and-hope/2019/6/20/hope-in-waiting?rq=elizabeth%20turnage
Sharon W. Betters is author of Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness and co-author of Treasures of Faith. She is Director of Resource Development and co-founder of MARKINC.org, a non profit organization that offers help and hope to hurting people. Sharon enjoys quality time with her husband, children, fourteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.