“Sit Still” - 1/21/25

 

From childhood to this very moment, the struggle to sit still and be patient is a universal experience. Can we not all recall times when a significant event was on the horizon (a birthday, a vacation, etc.), and it felt like an eternity until the moment finally arrived? As we grow older, the days seem to pass quicker, but there are still events that test our patience, making it difficult to wait.

 

Imagine the uncertainty Ruth must have felt, having returned to Naomi after her encounter with Boaz (Ruth 3:16-17) and now having to wait for him to secure either a marriage between them or secure the kinsmen “nearer” to marry her (Ruth 3:12-13). Naomi assured Ruth that Boaz would have an answer that day (v. 18), but what kind of answer would it be? (Yes, we know the answer, but put yourself in Ruth’s place and realize she has no idea what will happen. Live this moment with her in “real-time.” Would you not be anxious as well?)

 

How many of us have been in this dilemma regarding the correct course of action? We see the option between two things - one a known element and one an unknown element, but still, which is the proper decision? Apparently, neither Naomi nor Ruth were aware of a “nearer” kinsman, but Boaz knew him (Ruth 3:12). What kind of a man was he? Would he treat Ruth well? Was he only interested in the property? Perhaps these and many other such questions swirled in her head that day.

 

Yet, she had to wait. She had to trust in God. She had to be patient while waiting for an answer. Since Boaz wanted to marry Ruth, and she had essentially “proposed” to him earlier (Ruth 3:8-14), there was only one way this could be resolved now. They had to see if the “nearer” kinsman would assume his duty in the Levirate marriage or if he would renounce that position (v. 13). What was going to happen? All Ruth could do at this point was heed the advice of Naomi and “sit still” (Ruth 3:18), wait, and trust in God for the outcome. This command from Naomi is reminiscent of Moses, who told the people to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” when they had to wait all night for the Red Sea waters to part so they could cross on dry ground (Ex. 14:13-22).

 

Sitting still seems to be one of the hardest things we can do. If you are unsure, ask someone in the waiting room while their family member is in the ER. If you are unsure how hard waiting is, talk to the person whose child is on a long trip. All you can do is wait and pray she makes it home safely.

 

Worse than these are the times when a parent or other family members can only wait and pray after their loved one has strayed into sin and error and seems not to want to return to the Lord! I wonder how hard it was on the father to wait and pray while his prodigal son stayed away from home (Lk. 15:11-32)? What feeling might the thief on the cross have had while he waited to die? I pray he spent his last hours in full confidence and trust in what the Lord told him (Lk. 23:43), but oh, what pain he endured in those hours, hanging from a cross with broken legs (Jn. 19:32-33)! Why couldn’t he have died when Christ died? He had to be still and wait.

 

Yes, sometimes it seems easier if we have something we can do or somehow motivate the event and make it happen quicker. Unfortunately, this does not happen very often. May the Lord help us to wait and develop more patience as we live on this earth. Sitting still is hard, but sometimes, this is our only option! When this happens, even then, Christians are not “sitting still,” for we can offer our prayers to God and “come boldly to the throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16), where God is there ready to help us (Heb. 4:16, 13:6).

 

God desired the best for Ruth, just as He desires the best for each of us. Let us “sit still” and embrace the Lord’s will for us (I Pet. 4:11).

 

- Jarrod M. Jacobs