Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Dec 28th, 2012 God’s Perfect Plan – The Saturday Morning Post On Friday by Pastor Ted Stahl

A few days ago, Camille and I were reading our Bibles together. We went through the Book of Ruth. It was only four chapters, but I got a comforting thought from this Book. Just a few days before this was Christmas Eve. This would be our first Christmas without Melissa. Standing over the grave, Camille was weeping because she missed her daughter. I was weeping, because my wife hurt, and there was nothing I could do to comfort her except to pray that the Holy Spirit would give her the comfort she needed. Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, was going through it too. She had lost her husband. She had lost both of her sons. Her one daughter-in-law had gone back to her own people. Naomi had lost almost everything, but she still had Ruth. “And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.” (Ruth 1:15-22).

Naomi asked to be called Mara, which means bitter. She had come back home empty. But God had a bigger and better plan. His plan was to bring Boaz and Ruth together. His plan was to bring comfort to a hurting Naomi. His plan started before time began, and this is only a small part of it.

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. ” (Ruth 4:13-17).

Ruth became the mother of Obed, King David’s grandfather. Obed was given to Naomi to replace the two sons, and husband, she had lost. Obed would be a comfort to her: a restorer of life, ans nourisher of her old age.

These are the thoughts I got out of the Book of Ruth…

1) God’s plan is perfect, and has been running perfectly since it’s start. God doesn’t make mistakes. We do. So don’t be too hard on yourself when you mess up. God already knew about it and placed it in His perfect plan. You cannot through a ‘monkey wrench into the works’, and derail God’s perfect plan. He already knows what we will do, and He took care of that. And God’s perfect plan will continue to run flawlessly forever.

2) God’s perfect plan is filled with happiness and sorrow for us. Naomi had to lose what she had in order to return to Bethlehem. God wanted to bless Naomi in her old age. God needed Ruth to meet Boaz. God’s perfect plan called for taking her husband, and sons, home to heaven.

3) God’s perfect plan can also bring happiness and sorrow to God. To understand this better, we need to step out of Ruth, and go to the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35). Why would Jesus weep? Why would God cry? He already knew that He would call Lazarus back from the dead. He knew that Mary and Martha would see their brother live again that very day. Why did Jesus weep? Our perfect God with the perfect plan has perfect compassion on His creation. That’s why He gave us verses like Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Or John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. “

And my verse, John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

4) God’s perfect plan called for man’s salvation. I don’t know what part Melissa’s death played in God’s plan, but I do know that because of His love, we will see her again. John 3:16 tells us so: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

And one of my favorite passages: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.“

Isn’t it great to stand on God’s Word, and know that He has a perfect plan that includes you? To know that you are saved, and will someday be in heaven and see those who have gone on before us? But maybe you’re not saved. Maybe you’re not 100% sure you’re going to heaven. When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They told him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” (Acts 16:30-31). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).

Heaven or Hell, the choice is yours. Your part in God’s perfect plan doesn’t have to end in sorrow, it could end in happiness.

Peace. (John 14:27).