11 January 2010

"Sunday Stirrings"



In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. ”Who are you?” he asked. ”I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.”
“The LORD bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives, I will do it. Rest until morning.”

I’m just wrapping up the Kelly Minter study on “Ruth” this week and though each section has held interesting tid-bits I’ve never had the opportunity to nibble on before, there was a day this week that just really tugged at my heartstrings. A connection I had never made.

To read this passage of Ruth, you just appreciate the topical story at hand, if you’re like me. But, Kelly makes a correlation using it, that just gives the whole story a richer, more relatable meaning. She likens it to that of the time Jesus spent in the Garden of Gethsemane.

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”


Kelly points out “both Boaz and Christ waited through a long night before arriving at a place where they were able to redeem. Both had obstacles standing in their way. Both had people whose lives depended on their ability to save.”
And, whether we’re asked to ‘rest until morning’ like Ruth or ‘keep watch and pray’ like the disciples, we are to remain close to our Redeemer as we wait.

And I don’t know about you, but I needed that reminder.

*For more Sunday Stirrings, check out my sister Jodi’s blog. She’s just begun hosting Sunday Stirrings as an outlet to share our weekly ’stirrings’ of the soul. And if you have a 'stirring' you'd like to share, C'mon! The more the merrier!!
~

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