Words from the Lord: New opportunities are coming your way!

The Lord says: 

"New opportunities are coming your way! If you've been struggling and seeing no hope in your current situation, be it in ministry, career, business, or in any area of life, do not lose heart. As you look ahead in your life, you are entering a time of many new opportunities and divine appointments. Look to Me, and you shall begin to see many favors and good surprises."

As I was seeking the Lord the other day, the Lord reminded me of the book of Ruth. Now, your situation may not be exactly like Ruth's situation in the area of relationships or marriage. Your situation may be in the context of your ministry, your career, your business, or in any other area of your life. Whatever your situation may be, the Lord has a good news for you today! 

Let's go to the book of Ruth now.

Ruth 1:1-2 says, 'In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. The man's name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.' 

Here's the background. Elimelech had to leave his homeland because of famine. By the way, Bethlehem was a rich agricultural land. That's why the city 'Bethlehem' means 'House of Bread'. But times were tough at that time. There was a famine. So, he went looking for a greener pasture. He went to the land of Moab. Of course, he left for the land of Moab with the intention of returning to Bethlehem one day. But before he managed to do that, he died. 

Ruth 1:3-5 says, 'Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. The two sons married Moabite women (the women in that foreign land). One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone without her two sons or her husband.' 

And indeed, that was a huge tragedy for Naomi. You see, in that society those days, for a woman to be a childless widow or to lose her husband, that was a huge tragedy. There was no one to support her. There was no one to help her. It was a desperate situation. Not just that. Naomi had no family in that foreign land of Moab. 

Ruth 1:6 says, 'Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed His people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland.' 

Ruth 1:8-9 says, 'But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back to your mothers' homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage." Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.' 

Ruth 1:14-16 says, 'And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. "Look," Naomi said to her, "your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same." But Ruth replied, "Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God..."' 

Ruth 1:22 says, 'So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.' 

Yes, just on time for the harvest time! 

Ruth 2:1-2 says, 'Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, and this Boaz was a relative of Naomi's husband, Elimelech. One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it."' 

For your info, the farmers in Israel those days were commanded to not completely harvest their fields. They were to leave some bundle of grains behind. This was a form of social assistance to the poor and the needy those days, so they could come and glean the remains of those grains. This would give the opportunity for the poor and the needy to be active and to be able to work for their food. In other words, this was a way to provide for them. 

So over here, Ruth, on her own initiative, set out to glean in the fields in order to support herself and her mother-in-law Naomi. She would not allow herself to sit back at home and just wait for food to come. 

Ruth 2:15-17 says, 'When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, "Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don't give her a hard time!"' 

By that time, Boaz had already found out who Ruth was. Boaz knew that she's the daughter-in-law of someone close to him. Boaz gave her favor. You see, as a foreigner, Ruth would have had a very hard time in someone else's harvest field. But because Ruth was in Boaz's harvest field, she received such favor. Speaking of being at the right place, at the right time! Her steps were indeed ordered by the Lord! 

Beloved, no matter what struggle you may be facing at the moment, or no matter what hopelessness it may seem in your life at the moment, keep looking to the Lord. The Lord has a good news for you today. The Lord is about to give you new opportunities and divine appointments. The Lord's face will begin to shine upon you, if you cling to the Lord, just as Ruth clung to Naomi. I'm going to show you later what is the significance of the name 'Naomi' and 'Ruth' in the context of us today. 

But before that, let's continue with Ruth chapter 3 now. 

Ruth 3:1-5 says, 'One day Naomi said to Ruth, "My daughter, it's time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he's been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. Now do as I tell you - take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don't let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking. Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do." And Ruth replied, "I will do everything you say."' 

And you know what? As the saying goes, the rest is history.

Ruth 4:13a says, 'So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife.' 

Ruth 4:14 says, 'Then the women of the town said to Naomi, "Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family!"' 

To cut the whole story short, Ruth then bore a son. 

Ruth 4:17 says, 'The neighbor women said, "Now at last Naomi has a son again!" And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.' 

Now, why is this story so important? Because it has to do with the genealogy of David, whose father is Jesse, and whose grandfather is Obed, the son of Ruth and the grandson of Naomi. Because of the faithfulness and obedience of Ruth, Obed was born. And Obed begot Jesse. Jesse begot David. And why is David so important? Because David had a descendant named Jesus! 

You see, God's hand is all over history. God always works out His purpose from generation to generation. God always sees farther. There is always a purpose when God allows something to happen. All things will work together for good to those who love the Lord. Amen! 

Very interestingly, the name 'Naomi' means 'delight' in Hebrew. It can also mean 'pleasantness'. But for the purpose of our study today, let's focus on this word 'delight'. How about 'Ruth'? The name 'Ruth' means 'friendship' in Hebrew. 

Now, Ruth clung on to Naomi. Ruth could have stayed in her own land and find a new husband among her people in Moab. But Ruth chose to cling on to Naomi. This is a 'picture' of you clinging on to the Lord and delighting yourself in the Lord. This is a 'picture' of you being a friend of God. And as you've seen in the story of Ruth just now, God showed her many good surprises and great favor, even beyond what she could imagine. 

Beloved, it is the same with you, whatever situation you may be facing at the moment. God can show you many good surprises and great favor. God can set up divine appointments for you. God knows how to open a way for you, going forward!

Let's cross-reference to Psalm 37:4-5. This is a psalm of David. And yes, David was the great grandson of Ruth. David wrote, 'Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.' 

In other words, He shall bring His purpose in your life to pass, and He shall bring His destiny in your life to pass. Hallelujah! 

The word 'delight' here in this context can be defined in these three ways:

- A heart that finds delight in the Lord. 

- A heart that finds pleasure in the Lord. 

- A heart that is soft and pliable before the Lord. 

It means you allow the Lord to turn you, like the Lord turns the river. You desire to flow with the Lord. And that's how your life is going to be restful, yet fruitful. Amen!

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The secret to having the desires of your heart coming true

Psalm 37:4 (NKJV): Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

The word 'delight' here can be defined as 'to find great pleasure, to be glad, to be pleased with, to enjoy'. And the opposites (antonyms) of 'delight' are 'to have displeasure, to dislike, to loathe, to be disgusted, to be displeased, to be dismayed (to be distressed)'.

Notice it's not just delighting in the Lord, but delighting yourself in the Lord! In other words, not only should you delight in the Lord, but you are also to delight yourself in the Lord!

To delight yourself in the Lord is to learn to be happy with yourself, be easy on yourself (instead of being too hard on yourself), love yourself, laugh at yourself (we all make mistakes in life at one time or another!) and give thanks to the Lord for who you are! Remember you are precious and wonderful in the eyes of the Lord, and there will never be another you! This is a very important time to begin thanking the Lord for giving you, you!

The key chapters to read in this time and season are Psalm 131, Psalm 37, and Psalm 34, all written by the psalmist David. All these chapters point towards the same theme mentioned above.

Psalm 131 speaks of a beloved of God who has simple trust in the Lord, and whose soul is calmed and quieted (like a weaned child with his mother). 

Psalm 37 speaks of a beloved of God who learns to rest in the Lord and delight himself in the Lord, knowing that He is the One who causes him to inherit all the good of the land he dwells in.

Psalm 34 speaks of a beloved of God who learns to bless (speak well of) the Lord at all times and in all circumstances, knowing that those who look to Him and seek Him shall not lack any good thing.

As a believer in the New Covenant, know that Jesus has suffered every form of distress on the cross, so you can now delight in all that the Lord has given you! In fact, at the very beginning when God created Adam and Eve, they were created to delight! That was the Lord's original plan for them! Genesis 2:8 says, 'The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed'. Genesis 2:15 says, 'Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it'. By the way, the word 'Eden' ('ayden' or 'aydnah') in Hebrew means 'delight, pleasure'! God had meant to put mankind in the garden of delight! To tend it, and not to toil in it! To keep it, and not to blow it (or lose it)!

Let's go to John 10:10-11 now, and see what Jesus Himself says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." The word 'abundantly' here is 'perissos' in Greek, and it can mean 'superabundant, exceedingly abundantly above, beyond measure, excellent (in quality)'.

In New Living Translation (NLT), John 10:10 is translated this way: "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." 

In The Voice (Thomas Nelson, 2012), John 10:10 is translated this way: "The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy: I came to give life with joy and abundance."

To put it simply, John 10:10 says that Jesus came to give you life to enjoy and to delight in!

No, I'm not talking about indulgence in the flesh (or in sins) here. Sins will always lead to sorrows. The Bible promises that 'The blessing of the Lord... adds no sorrow with it' (Proverbs 10:22). I'm talking about enjoying the Lord and enjoying all the good things He has given you to enjoy here on earth! Take time to breathe the fresh air in the great outdoors, smell the flowers in the garden, and behold the beauty of nature (and all of His creations). Take time to 'pamper' yourself doing something you have always loved to do (or enjoy doing), but never had the time due to the 'busy-ness' and the hustle and bustle of life.

We are living in this fallen world that thrives on competition and comparison. It's a dog-eat-dog world that is ruthlessly competitive, where everyone is looking out for his/her own interests. But do you know the kingdom of God works very differently? David (whose name means 'beloved of God') understood this, and this is what he wrote in Psalm 131:1-2, 'Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty (with fleshly ambitions), neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned (satisfied, contented) child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me'.

Having fleshly ambitions alone will not lead one to where God wants him/her to be. Many people in this world have high and lofty ambitions, but they ended up nowhere (except further heartbreaks and sorrows). On the contrary, David had learned to delight himself in the Lord and wait patiently on the Lord. And you know what? The Lord raised him up in ways unsurpassed by all the kings before or after him! Not even the jealous Saul or the ambitious Absalom could take away what the Lord had in store for him! Indeed, we have a lot to learn from David, a man after God's heart.

So, what is the secret to having the desires of your heart coming true?

Let's go back to Psalm 37:4 now. The secret to having the desires of your heart coming true is by learning to delight yourself in the Lord. The word 'delight' here is 'anag' in Hebrew, meaning 'to be soft or meek (before the Lord), to be pliable (easily bent/shaped by the Lord)'. When your heart is aligned with His heart, your desires will also be aligned with His desires. And that's when good things begin to happen in your life, just as had happened in David's life! (Psalm 34:8)

Psalm 37:11 then says, 'But the meek (before the Lord) shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace (shalom)'. In other words, 'the meek (before the Lord) shall enjoy the abundance of shalom (i.e. happiness, welfare, wellness, wholeness, health, prosperity, favor, safety) here on earth'!

Interestingly, this word 'meek' here shares the same root word as 'delight' ('anag') in Hebrew! That is to say those who delight in the Lord shall inherit every good thing that the Lord wants to give them on earth! Hallelujah!

And that, my friend, in cross-reference, explains what Jesus meant when He said in the Beatitudes, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"! (Matthew 5:5) Indeed, blessed are those who 'delight' in the Lord, for they shall inherit every good thing that the Lord wants to give them, here on earth! Amen!

Delight yourself in the Lord!

Psalm 37:4: 'Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart'. 

'To delight' is like the 'radiance' in a baby's face upon seeing her beloved mommy & daddy approaching! I remember seeing this in my daughter Sophia's face when she was a toddler then. Pastor Sharon and I were so busy at work then that we had to arrange a babysitter for her, and at times, we could only come and fetch her every few days. Can you imagine the delight in her face upon seeing us at the doorstep? We could literally feel her heart leaping with excitement & joy! Why? Simply because she knew her mommy & daddy love her dearly & she missed us much (just as we missed her much too!). Also because she knew her mommy & daddy are good to her, & can't wait to embrace her and give her good things! She also had complete trust that her mommy & daddy would never harm her, and have only good thoughts for her! 

Beloved, that's exactly how your Father in heaven sees you (His beloved son/daughter) too! He has never meant harm to you, and is (& will always be) good to you! Jeremiah 29:11-12 says it very aptly, 'for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. You will call upon Me, and I will (& am here to) listen'.

Delighting yourself in Him is to know (& being assured) that He is good to you, all the time!

In Luke 1:41, the baby in Elizabeth's womb was also 'leaping' at the coming of Mary who would be giving birth to Jesus! You know why the babe started leaping? Because his soul was delighted at the presence of Jesus! Hallelujah! The presence of Jesus brings much delight! So, you can say 'to delight in the Lord' is 'to have pleasure in, or taking pleasure in being with Him or worshiping Him'.

The deeper meaning of 'delighting in the Lord' is found in the Hebrew word 'anag' in Psalm 37:4. This may surprise some of you, but it actually means 'to be soft or pliable before the Lord'. It also means 'to be easily shaped and flexible before the Lord', or 'the willingness or humility to be shaped by the Lord'. In other words, 'to delight in Him' is to allow yourself to be shaped by Him, to be soft or pliable before Him, and to be willing to be led by Him. Romans 8:14 says 'as many as are led by Him, these are called sons (or daughters) of God'!

It's also not wrong for people to say 'delighting in Him' is 'to sit at the feet of Jesus and enjoy His presence', by feeding on His Word, praying in the spirit, or in praise and worship. It's in His presence that you'll receive wisdom, revelation, and guidance in life, and that's how you can be 'at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing' always!

As you delight in Him, you'll also never miss all the goodness God has for your life! You'll even be blessed beyond what your mind can think of. His ways are always higher than yours (Isaiah 55:8-9), even in giving you every 'good thing'!

So, go ahead, continue to delight yourself in Him, and just as the psalmist David has written, 'God will even give you the desires of your heart', in His ways and in His time!

He delivers you because He delights in you!

Psalm 18:19b (NKJV): He delivered me because He delighted in me.

In New International Version (NIV), the word 'deliver' here is written as 'rescue'. God rescues you because He delights in you!

The word ‘delight’ in this verse in Hebrew is ‘chaphets’ (pronounced as ‘khawfates’). It means ‘favors, likes, bends towards, pleased with, or has pleasure in’. God delivers you because He favors you, likes you, bends towards you, is pleased with you, or has pleasure in you! He really is that good to you! He's definitely not out to get you or punish you. In fact, He loves you so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die for you on the cross! Jesus has indeed carried all the punishment for your sins. As a believer, you can now therefore stand righteous before God, because you have been reconciled to God, through what Jesus Christ has done on the cross. For God made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). To become 'the righteousness of God' means to be 'in right standing with God'. It means God is not angry with you anymore! In fact, the Bible says He delights in you! That's how good He is to you, my friend. But you need to 'allow' Him. Nothing will ever happen if you do not 'allow' Him.

At one point, Simon Peter was going through a hard time, and he was also in lack. Even after a whole night of toiling, he still couldn't catch any fish (Luke 5:5), and that means no 'income' for his family that day! However, he did one right thing. He allowed Jesus to come into his boat (Luke 5:3). I mean he could have turned Jesus down when Jesus stepped into his boat (to teach and speak to the multitudes). But he allowed, and that was the beginning of a turning point in his life. From catching nothing, he then caught a great number of fish (Luke 5:6) so much so that his fishing net was about to break! He definitely had more than enough, and he even had to ask his partners from the other boat to come and help!

Beloved, would you allow Jesus to come into your 'boat' now? Is there any area you want Him to deliver you or set you free? Whatever your situation or problem may be, whether it's a bondage of sin, a curse, a failure, a sickness, or a financial lack, Jesus can come into your 'boat' now and turn things around for you. Believe He's here to deliver you, He's good to you, and He delights in you.