Some of my most loved verses in the Bible are ones that I am fairly certain no one else would paint on a plaque. None of them are on plaques in my home either, but I can tell you one place they are, and that is deeply etched on my heart. You will find a few of them in the pages of this book.
It was a period in my life where I felt rather stranded, having left one greatly loved job only to try this and that with no “luck,” as they say. My new place of employment was nice enough, but there was a big hole in my career heart. Day after day, I pointed my car in the general direction of my workplace, and made my way to the job. My ride to and from work, at this juncture in my life, was a time purposefully set aside to avoid the radio and listen to my Bible tapes. It was my second time through the tapes, and it is not easy for me to describe how meaningful this custom had become. So, my moments in the car were a mix of thinking and praying and listening to God’s Word.
If you have never left a job after nearly ten years of bliss, then you may not be able to understand the plethora of emotions and mulling over that goes on, especially if you did not move immediately into a situation that at least kept your momentum. Truly, I wondered where I was going and what I should be doing. It was not a small matter. I went back and forth between knowing for sure that I had done the right thing by leaving my much-loved job and questioning my intelligence in making the move.
As I wound my way home one night, traveling down my favorite…the back roads…in the season when it gets dark early, Alexander Scourby was reading the book of Ruth. Often, the passage of the day took me through thoughts about myself, and sometimes one of my kids, or something from the past. That night, I was blessed once again by the wonderful story of Ruth. But a very strange thing happened to me on that ride home when the reader came to the last five verses of the book. This is what I heard:
18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
Mr. Scourby slowed down a bit as he read “and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David,” just enough to make a lifelong impact on me. Almighty God continues to move, continues to be in control; He continues to bring about His purposes. The line of Jesus was at stake here. This genealogy spread over hundreds of years, and all through that time, day by day, wedding by wedding, God was at work and quietly in charge.
I played it over and over again with tears. God had told me in no uncertain terms that I should not worry about the future. The message was to walk with Him, cooperate with Him, trust in Him, and to see with spiritual eyes, the mighty gears that were turning!
What an unlikely favorite passage! It is one of mine
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