Bitter Season | Daily Devotional 1653

You're listening to My Morning Devotional Podcast, episode 1653. Today's devo is called Bitter Season.

Hey there, we're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy, the to-do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why every weekday we share a five-minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast.

Good morning, everybody, and happy Wednesday. My name is Rochelle Alesi, and I hope that you guys are having an incredible morning or day. I don't know what time you're listening. I think it's morning, but even if you're not, I hope you're having an incredible day and incredible week. We are going through the book of Ruth this month, and I get the privilege of opening up with chapter one. And um I really hope that this story speaks to you and it blesses you. And I so encourage you to open up your Bible and to read this story on your own. Listen to the podcast, but then open up your word because I promise you there's so much that you could miss if you don't read it yourself, and so much relevation that the Lord could give you directly on these stories and how it could impact your life. So please share with us when you open up your Bible, post on the Instagram. I mean, we would love to see you and your setup. Do you do it in the morning? Whatever it is, share with us on all the platforms when you're reading your word, and let's be a community that truly values the word of God and it's the all in our lives. And so let's pick up. I want to go to Ruth chapter one, of course, but in verse 20. And this is uh right after you know everything's happened. Uh Ruth says, Naomi, I'm with you wherever you go. And now they're actually going back to Naomi's original like home where she was birthed, where she came from. Now Ruth is going with her. So that the section of this is actually named Naomi and Ruth return. And I'm picking up on verse 20, and it says, She told them, probably her family, right? She told them, Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has brought me calamity upon me. So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, was with her, who returned from the country of Moab, and they came to the Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. This is so hard to read because I think in these words we even see Naomi's pain to a dip deeper level. Because she returns to her hometown, and she's even telling her family, her friends, the people that have known her since she was little, do not even call me by my name. That's how much pain she was experiencing. That who she was was not even clear to her. Like, don't even call me that anymore. I I the Lord has been against me. She even starts to say all the things that she feels like the Lord has truly forgotten about her. And I wonder how we all come to a place where we experience certain things and you see everybody in your life moving forward. You see so many people getting blessed, and you look at God and it's like, God, I feel like you have forgotten about me. I feel like you have not answered my prayer. Me and my friend and everybody, I've seen you answer everybody's prayer but mine. And that in some ways could grow and even create some bitterness. That's why the episode is called bitter seasons. And it's not even because you're like, I'm a bitter person now, but what you're experiencing is so painful. It's like bitter, it's not fun to where you even look at yourself and you don't even know who you are anymore. Because you're like, this is so hard that don't even call me that. She looked at her family and said, Don't call me that anymore. That's not even who I am. Call me something else because I'm in such pain. And she was almost looking at what had happened to her as a new way of who she was. But Naomi was with her, and God was with her. And even though she went through that season, we see how the Lord was still providing for them. But in those moments, what happens? Because we know the end of the story and we know that God will come through, but while you are going through it, can you still tell God honestly what you feel without dishonoring him? Can you still go to God and say, Lord, even though I feel this way, I'm going to tell you everything that I feel. I'm going to be honest with you, but I'm not going to lose my faith. I'm going to tell you today I feel pain, but I'm not going to lose my faith. Today I feel angry, but I'm not going to lose my faith. Hey, today I feel hopeful and I'm going to continue to have faith. And then you realize, hey, today I feel joyful. Man, I have a little extra. Today I feel courageous. Today I feel different. And you realize that through the ups and downs of your days and your weeks and your months, your response is, I'm going to be honest with the Lord on how I feel, but I'm not losing my faith. As hard as it is to get up every morning and believe I'm going to do so, because my faith is on the Lord, knowing that the faith might not remove the obstacle, but it will show me that I am not alone. So today remember, be honest with God through your bitter seasons. Some things are not fun. Be honest with him. Don't hide from him. Because sometimes we even hide from him. We're like, I'm mad at you, so I'm not going to talk to you. No, talk to the Lord. Tell him what you feel. And you'll see how, even in all of that, as angry as you are with him, as you're speaking to him, you realize how good he still is. So don't be afraid to go to the Lord with what you're feeling. He's going to meet you right where you are and don't lose your faith. So let's pray today. Dear Father God, thank you for being with us. Thank you for being a God that doesn't just ignore us or forgets us, Lord. You are with us every step of the way, even when we feel alone, Father. Every time we've looked back and we see where your hand was. So I pray that today, this week, and this month, you help us see with spirit eyes the areas that you are working on in our lives where we can't see it. So, Father, thank you. We bless you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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