The way God works
Their pastor resigned unexpectedly. They later found out he was having an affair with a church member. Many of the young families had left the church for the cool new church in the next town. The church checkbook was almost empty. By this time there were only six people left in the congregation.
God redeems in time
The only pastor they could find was a retired man in his 80s. He was a kind and gentle soul who loved the small congregation, but he no longer had the energy to do more than preach on Sunday. It appeared the church would close. It was a sad time.
Though no one wanted to talk about it publicly, privately several people were upset with God. They had maintained their commitment to the Bible when other churches had abandoned biblical teaching. They had continued to heavily support missionaries even when their budget could not support it. They had tried to be faithful to reach their community, though fewer and fewer responded to their outreach events. They had tried, to the best of their ability, to do everything right, yet their church was in the worst position it had ever been in their 150-year history. Why had God let all of this happen to them when they had tried to remain so faithful?
Then one day that 80-year-old pastor had lunch with a denominational leader who introduced him to a young man who was just graduating from Bible college. He didn’t have a lot of experience, but he sure was energetic. The denominational leader suggested the older man take the young man under his wing for a period of time and see what God might do. Though it took a lot of time and there were some challenges along the way, eventually that young man became the pastor of the church.
A decade later that church now meets in two locations every week and hosts all kinds of well-attended outreach events. They have become the “cool church” in their region. In fact, that church is the strongest church in their area, giving more to missions than churches many times their size, and the pastor is one of the most respected leaders in the entire state. They came back from the brink of despair to become a powerhouse for the Lord. It is an exciting story. But it should not be an unusual story. Isn’t this how God always works?
The fullness of God
In the book of Ruth, we are introduced to Naomi. She and her family had to move to a different country due to economic challenges. In that foreign land she lost her husband, two sons and one daughter-in-law. When she finally returned to her hometown with one remaining daughter in law, she told everyone "I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty" (Ruth 1:21).
Clearly the difficulties of her life seemed overwhelming and she was blaming God for it. But of course, when we read the rest of Ruth and see the rest of the story of the progeny of Ruth through the ages, then we know that the Lord was about to make Naomi MORE FULL than she had ever been.
Not only would her remaining daughter-in-law marry a wonderful and godly man in the community, but that marriage would put in to motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to the birth of the long-awaited Messiah. But in the momentary pain of her circumstances, Naomi could not see that incredible future.
This is an important lesson for all of us. We must NOT let the current circumstances of our situation distract us from serving the Lord, for He has a future that is fuller than we could ever imagine. We must remain faithful during times of difficulty and watch what He will do.
Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves as the executive director of the Baptist Convention of New England.