When There Is No Plan B

What must it have felt like to be Naomi?  How about Ruth? 

Naomi, a Moabite woman, has lost her husband, followed by both of her sons. This is a woman truly alone. There is no protection, no provision, no headship and no spiritual authority over her.  In her culture, in her time, this is terrifying.

The last factor, lack of spiritual authority, was a key underpinning of the “time of the judges”, when Naomi lived.  When the judges ruled Israel, everyone did “what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6).  There was no spiritual authority, and no priesthood.

There is no more dangerous place to be, than when you are doing what is right in your own eyes.

Read that again.  No place is more dangerous than depending on your own wisdom.

When we rule our lives, rather than allowing God to, we base decisions on our feelings.  Feelings come and go.  Biblical truth stands.

When God strips you of everything, your feelings and opinions don’t matter.

I know that truth so well.  I spent most of my life trusting either wealth or brainpower.  I wish that weren’t true, but it is.  I could either buy my way out of a situation or think my way out.  Why did I need God’s view of a matter?  I didn’t need to consult Him, I thought, because I could, and did, handle most things.

But then I couldn’t.  There came a time when I couldn’t fix it.

I have traveled most of the world, but a very special place to me is Uganda. When I was there, I saw God work a miracle, where money or brainpower didn’t make any difference.  They weren’t enough, but God was more than enough.

I had traveled with a child advocacy non-profit, and I was touring various centers.  My responsibility was to feed the kids the one meal they were going to get for the day.

There had to have been 200 kids in line for food.  No one was shoving or pushing; they waited patiently.  I was feeding them oatmeal, but it quickly became clear that I didn’t have enough for all of them.

They were in a drought.  My willingness to buy more didn’t matter, as there was nowhere to buy food.  I couldn’t outthink the situation, so brainpower didn’t matter.  There was no plan B. 

But there was God.  And God did provide.  Every child got a full cup of oatmeal, because God simply kept multiplying the little I had.  He didn’t need my help.  He wanted my surrender.

Many times since then, God has required my surrender.  If you’re like me, that is a scary place.  However, the more I have been forced to surrender, the more I have experienced the goodness and provision of God.  The more I have experienced the goodness and provision of God, the less afraid I have become of the breaking.

Was Naomi afraid?  Certainly.  However, she knew of the things the Lord had done for His people.  She knew He would come to their aid.  She knew He would provide food in the midst of famine.

When you are stripped of everything, as Naomi was, a step of faith toward God may reek of simple desperation.  But it is still a step.  God honors that.

God did provide for Naomi and her daughter in-law, Ruth, in magnificent and unusual ways.  God is a father first and foremost.  Fathers provide. 

Naomi had no Plan B.  Neither did I.  But we both had God, and He showed Himself faithful.

Your own breaking will come.  Oh, it will.  You will come to the end of yourself, and I promise you, hard as you look, there will not be a Plan B.  Nothing you do will work.

But once you’ve surrendered to God, you won’t need Plan B.  God is plan A, and He is more than enough.

~ Originally from New York, Gerry Lutzel has been a NC resident since 2017 and currently teaches in the women’s Bible study. She also serves at Guest Services on Sunday mornings.