The Warrior also Yields to His Plan

The lesson for today is a lesson in being an adult AND a child. We are adults, full grown and independent. We are warriors, with the battle scars, victories, and defeats to show for it. We are also children – sons and daughters – of elder warriors and counselors. When our mentors age, what will we do?

The Warrior for God must always be willing to move in the direction of humility and service, not just into the fray of great battles. Your story as His warrior must be a complete and rounded one, so be ready to embrace a season of humility to achieve a legacy of His extraordinary achievements. 

Ruth 1:14-18 (Amplified Version)

¹⁴ Then they wept aloud again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law [good-bye], but Ruth clung to her.

¹⁵ And Naomi said, See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.

¹⁶ And Ruth said, Urge me not to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. ^[b]Your people shall be my people and your God my God.

¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts me from you.

¹⁸ When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said no more.

This is the point of decision and where a Path is presented and accepted.  Ruth has an extraordinary future, as we know from the rest of this book, but she could just as easily disappear from view if she makes a different choice at this point. Orpah vanishes from our view, and these letters are absent from our sight until a talk show host comes out of Chicago 27 years ago.  

Looking at verses 16-18, see that Ruth has made a decision and is immediately at peace with her choices. She is not doing a deep-dive analysis of the positives and negatives. She is looking at a situation and an Elder that she loves, and her mind is resolute.  A path has been chosen, and now He can allow His Plan for Ruth, Naomi, and all of Israel (including the birth of Jesus) to unfold.  

We must be willing to hear from God, and we must also be willing to be lead by God. Ruth was lead by God from her own spirit. It is how the Holy Spirit speaks to us at times now. We are faced with a choice that rips the lid off of our emotions, and a direction seems clear somehow.  Like the Warrior, we must learn to listen to that “still soft voice” and to move according to His gentle hand that is guiding us in a very quiet and subtle way. Acknowledge that He always has a Plan for you, take comfort in His Plan and your destiny, and then gather yourself for a new adventure!  Follow Him – He will have His Plan brought to fruition with of without you, so choose to follow His gentle touch and quiet assurance to accomplish Great Things in the earth!

Blessings,

Bryan