Amen.
Some of you listen to The Archers, don't you?
And it's been running longer than I've been alive.
It started in 1951.
!
And I think that's a really good description of the book of Ruth.
It's a very contemporary drama.
And yet it's got some strange customs that we're going to try and understand.
It's a contemporary drama in a rural setting.
But also with a very happy ending.
And what I want to do this morning is I just want to introduce the family to you
and then talk a little bit about the famine.
Because there's a family here who emigrate because of a famine.
And then I want to talk at the end about the way that the Lord brought this to a happy ending
for Naomi and her daughter-in-law.
So first the family.
You've got the head of the family, Elimelech.
Elimelech's name means, my God is king.
His wife is called Naomi.
They've got two children, Malon and Kilion.
And the story is set there in verse 1.
It's in the day of the judges.
There are big things happening.
And it's the whole period, isn't there, from Joshua, the start of Judges, to Saul, the first king of Israel.
And when you read that book, it's an eye-opening book.
It's a time of spiritual anarchy.
It's some dreadful things happening in the book of Judges.
In fact, you notice the very last verse of the book of Judges.
Can you just flip open the page?
In those days there was no king in Israel.
And everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
It wasn't an easy time to be alive.
And what you have here is life in Gideon's Palestine.
The book of Judges introduces us to some of the great and powerful household names of the Bible.
People like Samson and Delilah.
People like Gideon.
People like Deborah.
And the book of Judges is all about the big national events.
It's how Israel lurched from crisis to crisis to crisis.
That's the book of Judges.
But the book of Ruth hones in on one little family.
One little family in a little town of Bethlehem.
And we're given one little cameo picture of what life was like in the days of the Judges.
One ordinary family.
And straight away, that's an application, isn't it, to you and I?
It's a reminder that God actually cares about you.
There's a hymn that I used to sing when I was a little boy.
God who made the earth, the air, the sky, the sea, who gave the light its birth, careth for me.
It's a reminder that God who rules and reigns in the affairs of nations
is also intimately involved in the ordinary, everyday concerns of your family life.
Jesus said, didn't he, not even a sparrow falls to the ground without him being involved in it.
He's as much concerned with the frustrations and the aspirations of this little family
and your little family as he is concerned with whole civilizations.
He's as much concerned with you this morning as he is with the situation in Ukraine.
Helmut Thielich was a theologian.
Helmut Thielich was a great fan of C.H. Spurgeon, but he didn't share Spurgeon's theology.
And he says this, tell me how lofty God is for you, and I will tell you how little he means to you.
Now I think that's overstating things in a big way.
But he has got a point, doesn't he?
The lofty God has been lofted right out of my private life, he says.
If God has no significance for the tiny little mosaic pieces of my life
and for the things that concern me, then he doesn't concern me at all.
He's got a point there, hasn't he?
Nothing falls outside of the sovereign scope of the providence of God.
The same Jesus who taught you to pray earlier on in the service,
our Father in heaven, also taught you to pray,
your kingdom come.
His kingdom is coming, which is global and universal.
God who made the earth, the air, the skies, the sea,
who gave the light its form, cares for me.
So let's look what secondly happens to this little family.
We're told in verse 1 there's a famine.
It's quite probable it happened in the time of Gideon, Judges chapter 6.
Seven years that the people of God are under pressure.
They can't harvest crops.
And according to verse 4, it's about ten years before the news got through
that the famine was over.
And so there was no bread in Bethlehem.
What does Bethlehem mean?
Bethlehem means the house of bread.
No bread in the house of bread.
The promised land, do you remember?
A land flowing with milk and honey has no bread.
And the people of God who were meant to be faithful
were no longer faithful to the covenant that God had entered into with them.
And so when you read the book of Deuteronomy,
you'll find that there were blessings and curses
attached to a relationship with God.
And God's people had intermingled and intermarried
with the pagan nations around them.
And God's judgment had come down on the land.
And so there was a famine.
There was no bread in Bethlehem.
The house of bread had no bread.
Things were really tough economically.
Materially, it was a recession.
And so we're told in verse 2, aren't we?
This little family emigrates.
They went to live in the country of Moab.
Notice what it says there?
It says that they sojourned there.
A better translation is they went for a little while.
There are three Hebrew words in this passage to describe the journey.
The first one is, and that verse in verse 1, which is sojourned.
They were there for a little while.
That means they had no intention of staying there permanently.
It was 40 or 50 miles down the road.
It wasn't very far away at all,
but it might have been on a different planet spiritually.
They were only there 40, 50 miles down the road.
They only intended to be there for a little while.
And yet, they'd moved beyond the pale of God's people to live amongst the Moabites.
It seemed like such a sensible thing to do.
After all, Elimelech, he had a wife, he had two young children to care for.
There was famine in the land.
It was common sense.
It seemed the reasonable thing to do.
And yet, from a biblical point of view,
it was a massive vote of no confidence in God.
Elimelech means, do you remember, God is king,
but his actions show that he doesn't believe that.
He doesn't live up to his name.
And instead of trusting in God as his king,
or turning to God as his king,
and pleading with God as his king to provide for his family,
he walks out of the promised land.
And God had expressly forbidden his people
from intermingling and intermarrying with the pagan nations around,
especially the Moabites.
The Moabites are singled out in the book of Deuteronomy.
They're particularly dangerous.
They worship a god called Chemosh.
The Moabites offer human sacrifice.
They offer their children to their gods
as part of their regular worship.
And so economically, materially, it makes common sense.
From that point of view, it made sense to emigrate to Moab,
but spiritually, it's a disaster.
There's no place to raise your kids, Moab.
Somebody has described Elimelech's decision
as the triumph of the pragmatic over faith.
That could be a line that applies to the whole of the book of Judges.
Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
And Elimelech, he did what he thought was right for his family,
but there was disastrous consequences.
And it didn't happen overnight.
There's three words.
Verse 1, it says that they went to sojourn in Moab
just for a little while.
Then in verse 2,
the word for stay there,
it suggests that they began to put down roots
in Moab.
And then in verse 4,
when Elimelech died,
and Naomi and her two sons settled down,
to the extent of the sons growing up
and marrying Moabitess women,
now they're permanently, aren't they?
They're 40 or 50 miles down the road,
but they're miles away from where they belong.
And that can happen to you.
It can happen to people like me.
Think of,
there's a man in the New Testament called Demas.
And in 2 Timothy 4,
Paul says,
Demas has forsaken me.
He's walked away
having loved the present world.
No doubt Demas
walked out on Jesus
in his heart of hearts.
No doubt Demas
probably intended to return.
But as far as we know,
he never did.
And that's why the writer to the Hebrews
tells us,
take heed,
lest there be in any of you
a sinful heart of unbelief
in departing from the living God.
It happens
bit by bit,
slowly,
imperceptibly.
And that's what Elimelech did.
He walked out
on God.
Let me ask you,
is there any danger
of that happening in your life?
You see,
God had brought the people of God
to the promised land.
He'd given to them a tribe.
Each family had an inheritance.
Each family,
it was divvied up.
They had a parcel of ground
and it was their plot
in the promised land,
God's land.
And they were to bring up
their family
and pass it on to their children
and their children
and they were to look forward
to the Messiah.
It was their inheritance.
But Elimelech's inheritance,
Naomi's inheritance,
they walk out on.
It's left
untended for.
It's uncared for.
It's left to go to
rack and ruin
while they're in Moab.
What about you?
You have an inheritance
in Christ.
You have an inheritance
amongst the saints.
God has brought you
into his kingdom.
And you were in church
this morning.
But we all know,
don't we,
that you can be in church
this morning
and yet be a very,
very long way from God.
God,
it's your inheritance
in Christ
being cared for
and being tended.
You see,
we say to ourselves,
don't we,
and our deceitful hearts
say to ourselves,
I'm just going to
take a step back.
I need a little break
from living all out.
I'm just going to enjoy
the world for a week
or two.
And before you know it,
there you are,
you've stayed there.
And you're in danger
of settling down
and getting a taste
for what the world
has got to offer you.
And maybe you're saying
to yourself,
like Elimelech,
well,
what else can I do?
You've got to live,
haven't you?
Have you?
Elimelech might say to us,
there's a famine in the land,
I've got a wife,
I've got two young kids
to look after.
You've got to live,
haven't you?
Have you?
You see,
the message of the Bible
is there's something
more important than life.
Life itself,
and that is God.
And your relationship
with Him.
You're only here
for three score years
and ten on average.
Your children are going
to die.
Your grandchildren
are going to die.
There is something
more important
than life itself,
and that is being
right with God
and leaving
that kind of legacy
and that kind of
inheritance to your kids
and your grandkids.
Noah and Elimelech,
it tells us,
doesn't it,
that they were
Ephrathites
in verse two.
That means they were
descendants of Caleb.
They belonged to the
kind of aristocracy
of Israel.
They were pretty well off.
There's a hint of that
in verse 21.
Naomi says,
I went away full.
Yeah,
there was a famine
in the land,
but they were quite
comfortably off
in the land.
I went away full,
but I came back
empty,
she says.
It's one thing
to protect
your lifestyle,
but there's something
that is far more
important than being
comfortably off.
There's something
far more important
than being comfortably
off in this world,
and that is being
conformable
to the will of God.
That's more important.
There's a story
about when the
Chinese communists
took over China
in 1949,
and there's a
telegram
that's sent
by a commanding
officer
of the
Salvation Army.
Commander of the
Salvation Army
is in Shanghai.
It's 1949.
The communists
are coming.
He sent a telegram
back to head office
that just had
one sentence,
and this is what
he said.
He said,
I'm sitting
in the premises,
standing
on the promises.
Sitting
in the premises,
standing
on the promises.
Isn't that
what a liminex
should have done?
He's in
the promised land,
and he should
have stayed
there,
shouldn't he?
God has made
these fantastic
promises to
these people
that he would
provide for them
as long as they
remained faithful
to him
and kept his
covenant.
It was the place
where every true
Israelite should be,
sitting in the
premises,
standing on the
promises.
But a liminex
walks away.
He ups and
leaves.
And in so
doing,
he testifies
with his feet
his unbelief.
It's really
easy, isn't it,
for me to be
critical with
hindsight and
the passage of
time and so
on.
But let's be
honest,
we've all
done this.
Isn't that the
kind of mistake
that many people
make,
especially middle
class Christians
in the UK?
are the best
for our
children.
We want them
to have a good
education.
We want them
to have the
best start in
life.
And it's
possible,
just possible,
very possible,
that in
pursuing that
for ourselves
and for our
families,
we do it to
the spiritual
detriment of
our kids.
You've got to
ask yourself,
haven't you,
about Marlon
and Killian.
Married as
they were to
know about
women,
immersed in
Moabite culture.
And you've
got to ask
yourself,
how did
those boys
die?
Because that
is a far
more important
question,
isn't it,
than how
do they
live?
Your
children,
my children
are going
to die.
And your
grandchildren
are going
to die
and so
will mine
if God
gives them.
And the
question is,
will they
die well?
Will they
die trusting
in the God
of Israel?
Will they
die,
as we
sang in
Psalm 91,
sheltering
under the
shadow of
his wings?
Or were
they lost?
You see,
there's no
comparison.
There's no
comparison to
living amongst
God's people
and bringing
your children
up amongst
the people
of God,
under the
word of
God,
to living
in the
world.
There's
just no
comparison.
God's
son.
And yet,
how many
of us
forget that
not only
in the
bringing
up of
children,
but in
so many
other ways
we forget
it.
It's in
the choice
of a
life
partner,
in the
choice
of a
spouse,
or in
thinking
about a
move to
another
part of
the UK
or the
world,
or about
whether we
should
accept
that
promotion
at work
and we
make
important
decisions
without
asking the
questions.
we make
really
important
decisions
without
thinking
about
the
spiritual
consequences.
Will this
lead me
to love
God
and save
him more?
Or will
it bring
a coldness
to my
spirit?
Will this
relationship
that I'm
thinking about,
will it
bring me
nearer to
God,
or will
it drive
me further
away from
God?
if I
take that
job,
well the
money is
great,
but the
hours are
terrible,
and what
will that
job mean
for my
family?
What
will it
mean that
I have
so little
time for
my kids?
Will it
mean that
I have
all my
time at
work and
no time
to serve
and volunteer
at church?
What
will be
the spiritual
consequences
if I make
that move
to Moab
and there's
a really
great house
in Moab
and I can
have a
bigger garden
but there's
no gospel
church
anywhere
near.
It
astonishes
me.
I find it
incredible
that people
will move
house and
never ask
the question
is there
a good
local
gospel
church
that I
can get
really
stuck
in with?
It's
really
easy for
me to be
critical of
Elimelech
but we
all fall
into the
same way
of thinking
can't
we?
And
Elimelech
went to
Moab
to seek
a livelihood
but he
lost a
life.
He
sought a
home and
he found
a grave.
He wanted
a future
for his
family
but he
brought them
almost to
the point
of extinction.
I think
it's
legitimate
to ask
this
isn't
it?
Why was
Moab
so attractive?
What
makes the
world
so attractive
to God's
people?
I think
it's
this
God's
people
are
most
at
danger
they
are
most
vulnerable
when
things
are
dry
in
Bethlehem
when
there's
no
bread
in
Bethlehem
that's
why God's
people
backslide
it's
not
necessarily
that the
world is
such a
great
place
it's
not
necessarily
that the
world has
suddenly become
really
attractive
but it's
that Bethlehem
has become
so dry
they're
getting
nothing
out of
the
ministry
anymore
prophet
Amos
describes
it as
the
famine
not of
bread
but a
famine
of hearing
the word
of God
and that's
how it
often is
in the
UK
at the
minute
there's
a famine
of hearing
of the
word
of God
and God's
sheep
are
hungry
and they
look up
to be
fed
and they
get
nothing
it's
always
the
danger
when that
happens
people will
go elsewhere
to find
their
satisfaction
and meaning
and purpose
in life
and so
if that's
where you
are
spiritually
you might
be sitting
in this
church
this
morning
regularly
under the
preaching
of the
word
but if
there's
a famine
in your
heart
of the
hearing
of the
word
of God
if you
get
nothing
out of
the
ministry
of this
church
let me
say to
you
stay
on the
premises
stand
on the
promises
don't go
running
off
plead
with God
to visit
his people
again just
as he did
in Bethlehem
plead with
God
that he
would turn
our hearts
towards him
that his
word
would come
to us
not in
word
but in
demonstration
of
the
power
of the
Holy
Spirit
so that
the
word
would
come
not just
like
another
sermon
or another
Bible
talk
but it
would be
like
dew
going
on
the
mown
grass
so that
we're
refreshed
plead with
God to
do it
because God
knows the
way to
bring us
back
and that
brings us
to verses
6 and
7
there is a
happy ending
isn't
it
verse 6
then she
arose with
her daughters
in law
to return
from the
country of
Moab
for she
had heard
in the
fields of
Moab
that the
Lord had
visited
his people
and given
them food
so she
set out
from the
place where
she was
with her
two
daughters
in law
and they
went on
the way
to return
to the
land of
Judah
10 years
later
in the
far
country
Naomi's
ready to
return
and there's
three ways
I think
that the
Lord
brings her
back
brings her
back to
where she
belongs
three things
first of all
there's the
rod of
God's
discipline
you see
God loves
us too
much as
his people
to let
us go
whom the
Lord loves
the book
of Hebrews
says
he chastens
and you
and I
might be
tempted to
say to
Naomi
you know
troubles
and they
are severe
troubles
and I
don't want
to underplay
what Naomi's
going through
she's in a
very difficult
time
but you
and I
might be
tempted to
say to
her
in her
troubles
well God
has got
nothing to
do with
this
Job's
counselors
would have
said that
wouldn't
they
it was
your sin
that got
you into
this
situation
and God
is punishing
you for
your sin
we understand
the gospel
we understand
grace
and we
might be
tempted
to say
to Naomi
no no
no
God has
got nothing
to do
with
this
that
isn't
the way
that Naomi
sees it
look at
verse 13
look at
what she
says
she says
the hand
of the
Lord
has gone
out
against
me
later on
in the
chapter
verse 20
verse 21
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
calamity
upon me
don't call
me Naomi
which means
pleasant
call me
Mara
which means
bitter
I don't
think for
one moment
Naomi is
bitter
I don't
think Naomi
is a
bitter spirit
I don't
think you
can see
that
I don't
think for
one minute
she's
blaming God
for her
troubles
I don't
think that
I think
she's
speaking
subjectively
about how
she feels
so much
as
objectively
I don't
think she's
speaking
subjectively
about how
she feels
she's
speaking
more objectively
about what's
happened in
her life
she's had a
bitter experience
and she
sees this
as God's
way of
drawing her
back of
dealing with
her
whom the
Lord loves
he disciplines
you must
never
think as a
Christian
that when
things are
going wrong
that God
is punishing
you
there's a
very simple
reason for
that
you could
never ever
suffer in
this world
anything that
you go through
in this world
would be enough
to punish you
for your
sins
you deserve
far more
than all
of that
if you
want to
know what
your sin
deserves
you look
to Jesus
at the
cross
he was
in that
barren
land
he cried
out
my God
why have
you forsaken
me
he cried
out
I thirst
he took
the punishment
that our
sin deserves
and we know
that God
only punishes
sin in
two places
he punishes
sin
in hell
and on
the cross
and if
you won't
go to
the cross
to be
forgiven
you will
have to
bear the
consequences
of yourself
in hell
but in
this life
do not
think that
God is
punishing
me for
my sins
because
the Lord
Jesus
for the
Christian
has taken
that
punishment
on himself
but what
happens
is that
God
does
chasten
us
that's
not quite
the same
thing
do you
remember
how Paul
puts it
in Romans
he says
we rejoice
in our
sufferings
that's
the distinctly
Christian
thing
the natural
thing is
to complain
the natural
thing is
to despair
the noble
thing is
to grin
and bear
it
but the
Christian
thing is
to rejoice
we rejoice
in our
suffering
because in
our
sufferings
knowing
that
suffering
produces
endurance
and endurance
produces
character
and character
produces
hope
and hope
does not
put us
to shame
because
God's
love has
been poured
out into
our hearts
through the
Holy Spirit
and the
writer says
no discipline
seems pleasant
at the time
but painful
but later on
it produces
a harvest
of righteousness
and peace
for those
who've been
trained for it
so God's
word for you
this morning
is this
it is
don't
waste
your
sufferings
be exercised
under the
chastening
hand of God
as Naomi
is disciplined
by God
God is
bringing her
back to
where she
belongs
and a little
bit later
we will see
in this book
a harvest
of righteousness
that appears
in her life
and so
God will
not leave
his
backslidden
people
in the
far
country
and when
he seeks
to win
us
back
sometimes
he does
as he did
with Naomi
personal
disaster
is a
method
that he
uses
the sorrow
of bereavement
and loss
awakens
in her
a longing
to return
but there's
something else
God uses
in the
loneliness
of her
situation
and the
bitterness
of her
experience
she hears
a rumor
look at
verse 6
there's
a rumor
of God's
deliverance
she had
heard
that the
Lord had
visited his
people and
given them
food
how did
she hear
the weather
forecast
run on the
BBC website
like we all
have this
week
was she
reading the
financial times
and she
noticed there
had been an
upturn in the
economy in
Israel
where did
this rumor
come
what did
she hear
look what
she heard
that the
Lord was
visiting his
people
that the
Lord had
come to
the aid
of his
people
and so
we only
think of
secondary
causes
don't we
if there's
a good
harvest
the farmers
get the
praise
and the
fertilizer
it's a bad
harvest
we blame
the weather
and we
forget that
it is
God our
creator
God who
made the
earth
the
back of
the
loaf
is the
snowy
flour
the
back of
the
flour
is the
mill
the
back of
the
mill
is the
wheat
and the
showers
and the
sun
and the
father's
will
that's
what she
heard
that there
was bread
in Bethlehem
and again
that the
Lord had
visited his
people
and provided
for them
and given
them a
blessing
of the
covenant
he turned
their hearts
back to
himself
and that's
what happened
in the
book of
Judges
it's this
cyclical
process
where the
people
apostatize
and turn
away from
God
they chase
after other
gods
and then
God raises
up a
saviour
a judge
and the
people's
hearts
are turned
back to
him
and that's
how it
goes in
the book
of Judges
and she
had
heard that
God
has intervened
in the
land
and God
was raising
up a
saviour
that he
is visiting
his people
and so
now they
are God's
people
in God's
place
under God's
blessing
and their
faith has
been
reinvigorated
but we
hear an
even more
remarkable
rumour
we hear a
remarkable
rumour
that in
the town
of David
this day
a saviour
has been
born
that God
has sent
his redeemer
into the
world
into this
little town
of Bethlehem
that into
the house
of bread
comes one
who claims
to be the
bread of
life
have you
heard that
rumour
she
heard a
rumour
that God
had visited
his people
and I
wonder whether
you've
responded to
that rumour
wherever you
are in your
life now
whatever your
circumstances
may be
Pascal the
philosopher
said that in
each and every
one of us
there is a
God shaped
hole
which only
Christ can
fill
John Paul
Sartre
was another
atheist
he remained
an atheist
but he
said something
very interesting
he said that
God doesn't
exist I
cannot deny
he said
but that my
whole being
cries out for
God I
cannot forget
and each one
of us has a
hunger for
God
every single
one of us
have been
created
with a
sense of
the divine
God has
put eternity
in your
heart
and that's
what brought
Naomi home
the rod of
God's
discipline
God dealing
with her
in the hard
things
but also
the rumour
that God
isn't a
concept
but he is
the sovereign
God who
has not
spared his
only son
but he's
visited and
redeemed his
people
that he sent
the Lord
Jesus
into the
world to
take the
punishment
for our
sins
and to
give us
a future
and that's
the rumour
that she
heard
and there's
more than
a hint of
that in
the book
of Ruth
because she
is the
grandmother
of David
and David
is the
great ancestor
of David's
greatest son
the Messiah
there's a
direct link
isn't this
from this
story of
Ruth
to the
Lord Jesus
to us
because God
is living
and powerful
and sovereign
and in his
providence
and in his
grace he's
visited this
planet
and there's
no better
news than
that
that God
has come
and visited
his people
and he's
brought to us
the bread of
life without
which our
souls will
perish
and so what's
the third
thing she
does as we
finish
she comes
back to
God
doesn't
she
in genuine
repentance
I was reading
this an article
this week about
kind of the
cheap airlines
you know
easy jet
all those
ones
that are
around for a
little while
but they
never last
and there
was one
airline that
some of you
might remember
was run by a guy
called Freddie
Laker and it
was Laker
Airlines
it went bust
in 1982
it went bust
but there was a
flight that was
still in mid
air
mid flight
it was on its
way from
Manchester to
Switzerland
and the news
broke that the
company had
kind of gone
bust
and the plane
had to turn
around
and go back
to Manchester
can you imagine
the disappointment
for those
passengers
Margaret Thatcher
the Russians
called her
the Iron
Lady
her colleagues
were worried
that her
reforms in
the UK
were going
too far
and she
gave that
famous speech
where she
said to her
colleagues at
the party
conference
you turn
if you want
to but the
lady is not
for turning
but Naomi
is for
turning
and if you
are wise
this morning
you will be
for turning
too
we can't
spot it
really in
the English
but 11 or
12 times
the word
turn
comes up
in chapter
1
it's the
same in the
prophets
in the Old
Testament
they call
God's people
back to
covenant
faithfulness
it's the
word
repentance
she turned
right around
she admitted
that she got
it wrong
and she came
back to God
and I went
out full of
myself
she says
I went
out full of
my plans
full of my
hopes for the
future
but I've
come back
empty
and you
may be in
church this
morning
but you've
drifted
and you've
gone far
off
but there's
a way back
this morning
and Jesus
said what
profit a man
if he gained
the whole
world and
lose his own
soul
what profit
is there
if you
achieve all
your goals
you fulfill
all your
dreams
and you
gain the
whole world
but in
the process
you lose
your soul
you lose
yourself
what good
is that
you become
a hollow
shell of
what you
were meant
to be
where's the
profit in
that Jesus
says
what profit
is what good
is it if you
gain everything
that you want
to gain
but in the
process you
lose your
soul
Jesus asks
another question
doesn't he
says what
will you give
in exchange
for your
soul
what are you
going to
give to get
your soul
back
the answer
is nothing
the answer
is there's
nothing you
can give
nothing you
can do
this morning
could my
zeal
no respite
no
could my
tears
forever
flow
all for
sin
could not
atone
you must
save God
and you
alone
you've got
nowhere else
to go
today
except to
him
you've got
nothing to
offer
him
you've got
no way
for making
amends
but you
can come
back to
him
and you
can do
what Naomi
does
and she
shelters
under the
wings
of the
almighty
God
let me
encourage you
to do
that
to come
back home
to him
where you
belong
to shelter
under his
wings
ready
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