Walk By Faith

"In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband." (Ruth 1:1-5)

The Bible doesn't show that God directed Elimelek to immigrate to Moab or whether Elimelek sought God's wisdom and direction before making his decision. Sometimes fear and worry (which stem from lack of faith or weak faith) lead people to take matters in their own hands (as in the case of Sarah taking Hagar to sleep with Abraham). Elimelek probably thought he was doing the right thing for his family. He probably didn't think long-term about Naomi possibly being left alone poor and isolated in a foreign, pagan land. He didn't know that both of his sons would die before his wife/their mom. A widow's plight in Biblical time is very difficult, especially for older widows who depend on their children for support. 

God wants us to walk (live) by faith, not by sight. We are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) and now we live by faith in Christ (Galatians 2:20). "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see...And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11:1, 6) Faith (trust, belief, conviction) in God as Creator and Ruler of all things, Provider and Giver of eternal life through Christ Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah, the only Way through Whom we can be saved. Whom or what you place your faith in is of utmost importance. You may have a strong faith in everything else but Christ, and yet perish. Authentic faith brings about conviction of God's truth, confidence (in God), courage, contentment, and comfort no matter what trials and troubles of life we may have to go through. Faith protects our hearts from doubting, fearing, worrying, and wandering. Faith also keeps us spiritually stable in spiritual warfare. Faith in God (of the Bible) is complete confidence/total trust in Who God is and what God does and that God will do what He will do when He wants to do and how He wants to do.  We are sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see because of God alone Who is always faithful and unchangeable, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. We can rest in His love, grace, mercy, wisdom, power, goodness, faithfulness, and sovereignty. We trust God, His Word and His promises without terms. Faith is the belief that the thing God has said in His Word is true (God says it; I believe it) and that God will act according to His character/attributes and what He has said in His Word. God is both the Object and the Origin of our faith.

In this life's journey, we are to walk ("walking" indicates making progress and requires perseverance) by faith, not by what we see.  "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) Faith includes embracing eternal perspective. We should focus not on what is seen (visible) which is temporal, but on what is unseen (invisible) which is eternal. "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:2) It's really interesting to note that the Greek word for "sight" is eidos and the Greek word for "idol" is eidolon which is derived from eidos. Walking by faith and walking by sight do not mix. We have to choose either believing in, trusting in, and depending on God (walking by faith), or believing in, trusting in, and depending on selves and things of the world (walking by sight). The latter is idol (anything that we put in place of God).

"How do you walk by faith? By claiming the promises of God and obeying the Word of God, in spite of what you see, how you feel, or what may happen. It means committing yourself to the Lord and relying wholly on Him to meet the need. When we live by faith, it glorifies God, witnesses to a lost world, and builds Christian character into our lives." (Wiersbe)

Prayer: Abba Father, please help us see the temporal through the lens of the eternal and enable us to walk step by step, moment by moment by faith. May the eyes of our heart be enlightened by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus's Name, I pray. Amen.

"Though I know not what awaits me,
What the future has in store,
Yet I know the Lord is faithful,
For I've proved Him oft before."
(Unknown)

"Faith is believing what God says simply because it is God Who says it." (Unknown)
"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading." (Oswald Chambers) 
"Faith is expressed in obedience to Biblical truth because we have confidence in our trustworthy God." (Alistair Begg)
"Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see what we believe." (St. Augustine) 
"Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right." (Max Lucado)
"Faith endures as seeing Him Who is invisible; endures the disappointments, the hardships, and the heart-aches of life, by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him Who is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind." (A.W. Pink)
"Faith is a Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him." (Corrie ten Boom)

"Faith will give us the perspective about life after death that the flesh can never do. The world walks by sight and so death to them is fearful and terrorizing." (Butler)

Immigrating

"In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there." Ruth 1:1-2

29 years ago on this day, I came to America when I was 20 to study for my master's degree at Oregon State University. After I graduated, I got married. Except for 2 visits to my birth country, Thailand, I have lived in America since 1989. I can relate to Naomi (and Ruth) regarding leaving their birth places and all that's familiar to them and learning to live in a foreign country with foreign customs. When I first came to America, I felt excited, nervous, shy, and homesick at times. Definitely a culture shock. I'm very grateful for God and my husband (boyfriend at the time) for helping me through the transition. God has always been my stability and security. I can definitely testify to the truth of Psalm 46:1, "God is our Refuge and Strength, and ever-present Help in trouble." I admit it's not easy to leave everyone and everything that you grow up with. I'm thankful for Facebook through which I can still connect with family and friends in Thailand. Naomi (and Ruth) didn't have that.

Even if Elimelek's decision was a mistake and not God's will, God still worked all things out for Naomi's good (she got a wonderful, caring, committed daughter-in-law, Ruth) and for His glory (displaying His providence and redemption). We can always trust and rest in God Who is our Refuge, Strength, and Help. His goodness and faithfulness never fail! And we, Christ's followers, can be thankful that Heaven is our true home (no matter where we live right now)!

Sidenote: I don't know who named their sons but Mahlon means weakly and Kilion means sickly. They're doomed from birth :).