The Chase

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. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more. (Ruth 1:16-18 NLT)

Ruth was a Moabitess. She was not of Naomi’s people. She didn’t know where she was going, didn’t even know if they would accept her. She didn’t know if she was going to famine or fortune, danger or safety, she had no idea. But she knew and trusted Naomi, she loved her dearly.

This caused me pause. Ruth loved Naomi almost desperately. Do I love the Lord like this? Do I feel in my heart (whether I say it or not), “Lord, where you go, I will follow”? Do I feel like, “Lord, Your people will be my people”? No matter what they say to me or about me, no matter how they behave towards me…do I say, “God they are Your people, so they are mine”? I want to be this determined to chase the Lord. I want to follow Him as desperately. Naomi was a fault-filled human, my Lord is without blemish or flaw, mistake or fault and He has chosen to love me passionately. How can I not chase Him with everything in me?

I am aware that the Lord chose to go to the cross for me. He chose to take on the punishment that was meant for me. He chose me. How can I not chase after Him…