Repentence as Gentle Rain
“Then she arose…that she might return from the country of Moab; for she had heard…how the Lord had visited his people in giving them food” (Ruth’s 1:6).
Naomi left the Promise Land, the House of Bread, Bethlehem. She, along with her husband and sons, only planned to stay for a little while in Moab, but she ended up dwelling there in the land that is half-washed. She lost her husband and her sons to death. She was a broken woman who was living in a barren and pagan land.
Repentance can be dramatic, but most true repentance is like a gentle rain, slowly and surely softening the hardened soil of our hearts. In Psalm 23, the Lord “restores my soul” (v. 3). The Hebrew word for “restores” is shun, which means “turn” or “return.” When Naomi returns to Israel, to the house of the Lord, her own soul is restored.
If you a part of the group that is “weary and heavy laden“, return with your depression, anger, and withdrawal. You can come back complaining, but “come back.” Come to Jesus with your mess, grumpiness, loneliness, and your self-centered heart. He will clean you up. The point is to come back! He loves you with an everlasting love!