Calm In Chaos

By: Tamika Mahomes

In life, we are all faced with chaos. Our jobs, our families, unexpected health issues, financial burdens, and an array of many other things. And while chaos in our lives may not change, our response to it can. In today's passage, we see just that. Ruth 2:13 says:

“My lord,” she said, “I have found favor with you, for you have comforted and encouraged your servant, although I am not like one of your female servants.” (CSB)

To provide a quick backstory of this chapter, Naomi, who is the mother-in-law of Ruth lost her husband and her sons, one being the husband of Ruth. At this point in the text, both Naomi and Ruth have dealt with great loss. While they both are navigating the loss of a loved one, their response to the loss differed. Naomi was riddled with bitterness, while Ruth is seen to be moving forward in the midst of her grief. 

In unpacking Ruth's story further, we see in Ruth 2, that while Ruth is going through her grief, she decided to let the Lord lead her. Ruth 2:2 says:

"Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, “Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone with whom I find favor?”Naomi answered her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”​ (CSB)

Ruth here is asking Naomi for permission to go into the field, and while Ruth asks for permission to go, she does not ask Naomi which field to go to. Ruth did what she could and let God do the rest. In seeking permission, Ruth was doing what she in her human nature could do, but in determining where to go and the outcome, she left that to God. You see amid the tragedy Ruth was facing, she still chose to let God lead her.

This story serves as a remind that in life, we are all faced with some type of chaos, and in the midst of that chaos we are called to be lead by God. We are not called to go through it alone! Deuteronomy 31:6 serves as a reminder:

"Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.” (CSB)

You see, once we truly grasp and understand that we need to be led by God and not our emotions or our circumstance, we can then find peace, hope, and rest, even amid our biggest struggles.

​You see Ruth's circumstances could have led to her being angry, bitter, or complaining, but rather she found hope in the midst of it all and had a spirit of gratefulness, even in the struggle. Instead of leaning into her human understanding, she chose to lean into the understanding and the path that God had for her. In this midst of her trail, she chose to trust the Father.

During hard times, we ought to remember this very truth, when we choose to stay with God he will lead us, guide us, and comfort us, even in the hardest of seasons. We can not go through these trails alone when our Father is standing right there with his hand waiting for us to let him in. We can be bitter or we can be grateful. We can be overcome with worry or we can be overcome with joy. We can carry our burdens or we can give the load to the one who is over every burden we could ever face. We can go through it alone, or we can be led by the Holy Spirit. The choice is ours but friend, I want to encourage you in this, You are NEVER alone, God is right there with you, lean on him!

As I close this blog, I want to remind you, learn to let God lead you through the midst of the uncertainty. While it may be a hard process, it is a necessary. Once you let God lead and allow him to walk with you through the chaos, I promise you will find peace, hope, and joy in the midst whatever you are facing. He is right there.