Moving On

by Jane Josephs

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.”  –Ruth 1:16b

Of all the things that cause us stress, moving to a new home is right up there in the top five. So when my son told us that when he retires from the Navy, he and his family will be moving to Idaho, we were less than enthusiastic. But then the Lord reminded me that moving is biblical (after all, God moved Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, didn’t He?). And He focused my attention on four people in the Bible who moved and lived to tell amazing stories: Abram, Daniel, Naomi, and Ruth.

Abram, whose name God changed to Abraham, was living in Harran when he was called by God to move “to the land I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). Talk about stress? Abram didn’t have a destination point to give the camel caravan. No GPS. Only a mighty God who knew the way, because He is The Way.

Then there’s Daniel’s story. “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it” (Dan. 1:1). In the list of captives was a boy named Daniel, a young man “without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace” (Dan. 1:4). His story gives us chills to this day, although his life certainly gives us a strong example of how to live ours, doesn’t it?

But my favorite story about moving is the tale of Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth. Famine in Israel had originally caused Naomi, her husband and two sons to move to Moab. There, the sons married and Naomi’s husband died. After they had been there about ten years, the sons also died, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law without anyone to provide for or protect them. Naomi makes the decision to return to her homeland of Judah, and she encourages her daughters-in-law to go home to their mothers. Orpah agrees and goes back. But Ruth replies, “Don’t urge me to leave you…where you go I will go,” and she returns with Naomi to Judah for the rest of their story. (Check out “Ruth and Boaz” on Netflix for a modern take on the story.)

Three stories, three outcomes that remind us of God’s divine hand in the lives of His people. My son and his family may soon be many miles away, but God is still with us all. He never moves but is the “friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24). And in the meantime we’ll spend plenty of time on Facetime.

Dear Lord, what a God, what a God! You are always faithful, always true! We thank and praise You for Your continual presence in our lives, leading and guiding us. Help us to be Your witnesses in everything we say and do. In Your name we pray, Amen.