MGD: Healing for Bitter Waters - 3

Slum and a blessed morning to you all, and you're

warmly welcome to today's episode of the Morning Glory Devotion.

This is Sarama and Rabels Jabbing from Harvest Chapel International, COMMASI,

and it's our privilege to be facilitating today's edition. Let's

share a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for

the wonderful privilege to gather together at your feet to

listen to your word. Please open our eyes and let

us see wondrous things out of your word in Jesus' name. Amen,

let us take our confession from Joshua one verse eight.

This book of the Law shall not depart out of

my mouth, but I shall meditate in it day and night,

that I may observe to do according to all that

is written in it. For then I will make my

way prosperous, and then I will have good success. Today's

episode of the Morning Glory Devotion has been titled Healing

for Bitter Waters Part three Healing for Bitter Waters Part three,

Getting Back to the House of Bread. A Bible reading

text shall be taken from Ruth one, verse eighteen to

twenty two. Ruth one eighteen to twenty two when Naomi

saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she

said nothing more. They went on until they came to Bethlehem.

When they arrived, the whole town got excited, and the

women there exclaimed, is this really Naomi? Don't call me Naomi,

she answered, call me Mara, because Almighty God has made

my life bitter. When I left here I had plenty,

but the Lord has brought me back without a thing.

Why call me Naomi when the Lord Almighty has condemned

me and sent me trouble. This, then, was how Naomi

came back from Moab with Ruth, her morbid daughter in law.

The barley harvest was just beginning when they arrived in Bethlehem.

Amen Healing for Bitter Waters, Part three, Getting Back to

the House of Bread. Have you ever made a decision

to escape a painful situation only to find that the

place you ran too, brought even greater sorrow. It is

one of the quietest griefs a person can carry. You

leave a hard season, or walk away from a difficult community,

hoping to find relief, but instead of peace, you find disappointments,

and to make matters worse, shame whispers that you have

brought it all on yourself. You begin to feel that

you have burned your bridges, that God is distant, and

that you deserve the bitterness you now taste. This was

the exact burden carried by a woman named Naomi. Her

home was Bethlehem, a name that literally means the house

of bread. But when his severe farmine struck the land,

her family made the decision to pack up and move

to the neighboring country of Moab to survive. It seemed

like a practical choice at the time, yet while living

a mob tragedy struck. Naomi lost her husband, and in

time both of her sons died as well. She found

herself destitute, far from home and completely broken. When word

reached her that the Lord had visited his people and

restored food to Bethlehem, Naomi gathered her remaining strength and

begun the long walk back. When she finally stepped into

her home town, the women of the city gathered around

in shock, asking is this really Naomi, but Naomi replied,

do not call me Naomi, which means pleasant, call me Marah,

which means better. Because the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me,

some of us may be leaving like Naomi. Today, we

are walking around with the label Mara written across our hearts,

convinced our story is over and our best days are

behind us. But look closely at Naomi's story. The moment

she set her feet on the path back to Bethlehem,

her healing began. Notice that she arrived just as the

barley harvest was starting. God was already preparing the future

for her in the very place she thought she had lost.

At the end of her story, we see clearly the

testimony of God's restoration in her life. If you have

wandered away from God, isolated yourself from a church family,

or made choices that left you empty, do not let

Shane keep you in more. Do not need to clean

up your life before you retrace your steps. The Father

is waiting at the edge of town, ready to remove

the label of bitterness and restore your joy. Take that

single step home today. Now, let us take our memory

verse from Ruth four fourteen to fifteen. Ruth four fourteen

to fifteen, the women said to Naomi, praise the Lord.

He has given you a grandson today to take care

of you. May the boy become famous in Israel. Your

daughter in Law loves you and has done more for

you than seven sons. And now she has given you

a grandson who will bring new life to you and

give you security in your old age. Amen, let us

pray heavely. Father, you see the brokenness and quiet guilt

we carry when our choices lead to hardship. Forgive us

for running to places that could never nourish our souls.

To day we put down our pride and our shame,

and we take the step back to you. Wash away

the bitterness in our hearts, restore us to the comfort

of your presence, and let us taste your goodness once

again in the land of the living in Jesus' name. Amen, beloved,

thank you for being a part of to day's episode

of the Morning Glory Devotion. Stay tuned to Radio HCI

to day for more spirit fulled content throughout the day

until we come your way to morrow morning. At the

same time, have it blessed day, Ann sm