where you go, i go.

Hello, Everyone! Welcome back to my blog!

We have been in a powerful season of revival in my church for the last few weeks. God has been moving supernaturally not just during our services but through our people during the week as well. We have been having some beautiful moments with Holy Spirit, but as my pastor shared this past Sunday, “God is looking for grumbling stomachs!”

If we are wanting to continue to see God use us and move in and through us, we have to get desperate. We have to get hungry! We have to want more! In thinking on the topic of hunger and wanting more, it lead me to the thought of pursuit and loyalty. And then the beautiful story of Ruth came to mind.

Now, let me give you a quick synopsis of the Book of Ruth (If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to do so! It’ll only take you about 15 minutes to read). To start out, a woman by the name of Naomi packed up and moved from Judah to Moab due to a terrible famine that was affecting her family. She and her husband moved there with their two sons, who eventually took wives while living in Moab.

Tragically, Naomi lost her husband and two sons. Broken and empty, Naomi decided to move back to Bethlehem in Judah. Her daughter-in-law Ruth came with her, since she had also lost her husband. Keep in mind that Ruth was a Moabite woman, and she was now moving to Judah as a foreigner. This was a big deal in their culture, but she was committed to Naomi as her daughter-in-law, and she wanted to follow after the God of Israel.

And here is where we find this beautiful decree from Ruth in Ruth 1:16 NIV,

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

As soon as Ruth said these words, the young widow’s life was forever changed. As soon as she made the choice to pursue and remain loyal, her life shifted and never remained the same. Ruth completely dropped everything that she knew- her past, her gods, her citizenship as a Moabite woman, her old life- and traded it all for a new life. A new life in Judah serving the God of Israel.

Ruth’s unwavering commitment to follow Naomi provides a beautiful depiction of Christian conversion. With her words, “Wherever you go, I will go,” Ruth made a definitive separation from her past way of life. Becoming a follower of Jesus Christ likewise involves a pivotal decision and breaking away from the past. When we become followers of Jesus, we become new creations. And as new creations in Christ, we are separated from the dominion of sin through the death of Christ on the cross. We become a wholly “new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17 NLT)

Ruth had every reason to go back to Moab and potentially gain a new husband. She had a choice to turn around and leave, but the Bible says that she “clung to her” (Naomi). The verb translated “clung to” is the same term used in Genesis 2:24 to define the “cleaving, uniting, or holding fast” of a man and woman in marriage. She had made a radical and absolute dedication to Naomi, her people, and her God. Ruth had surrendered every aspect of her life into Naomi’s hands.

If we desire to see a continuous revival in our churches, our families and our own lives, we have to continue to cling on to God! Ruth’s pursuit and loyalty to her mother-in-law paints us a beautiful example of how we are to pursue after Christ.

This has been my heart’s cry for weeks now. My desire is to cling to Christ. Just like the woman with the issue of blood in Matthew 9:20-22. She clung to Christ’s garment. She got desperate. She got hungry. She pursued.

And because of Ruth’s loyalty and obedience, God redeemed her story. I am sure she felt unimportant to God and others during her journey through life, but God put her story in the Bible for a reason. He even made sure to have her in Jesus’ linage. Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David and Jesus is in the same lineage as David. God redeems all things, but how much are you willing to intrust into His hands? How much are you willing to give up in order to cling to Him?

Like my pastor said this past Sunday, “We don’t have a time issue, we have a hunger issue!”

How desperate are you to follow Christ? Are you willing to go where He goes? God is in the business of redeeming all of our stories, but how much are you going to give up? His desire is to use us mightily! Give Him something to work with!

Let’s cling to Him this week. Let’s get desperate. Revival is here, so let’s continue get into position for the outpouring He wants to give to us!

Ruth 1:16 NIV

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.