Ruth 2

The focus of today is simply on one verse of the chapter that you just read. Look again at verse 4. Notice the way they greet each other. “May the Lord be with you”! “May God bless you”!
Have you ever thought about the way that we greet each other? It’s almost senseless sometimes. Yo! What up? ‘Sup? Hey! Dude! All just mindless abbreviations and thoughtless gestures. Thanks to certain beer companies, greetings have even less significance: (Whazzzzup? How ya doin’? How ya doin’? How ya doin’? ala Italian style). And when we actually do ask a meaningful question in greeting such as “How are you?”, we don’t even listen attentively to the response given to it. Probably the most meaningful greeting we use is in parting, when we say good-bye, which is an abbreviation for “God Be With Ye”. But who really knows that, or wishes that to the people they are leaving? I know that for the most part, I don’t.
How different in Middle Eastern cultures, as we can see from the verse. God plays a significant role in their greetings to each other. I love the way that my Arabic speaking friends greet each other. When asked “How are you?”, their response is Al-Humdu lillaah which means “God be praised!” Or they say, Allah ma-ahna which means “God is with me!”
And when they depart and say “see you later, or tomorrow”, the reply is In Sha’lah, which means “If God wills”.
Isn’t that wonderful? I love it because what they say reflects their devotion to God in something even as simple as a greeting. Too often, our greetings tend to just be meaningless.
What better time to proclaim God’s goodness and presence in our life than in a greeting? It not only says to the person you are greeting that you love God, and know that he is with you, but it also serves to remind yourself of these things. It helps to keep things in perspective and in priority in our life, especially in our words.
I try hard to include these greetings (in Arabic and English) in my vocabulary now. I encourage you to do the same. Pray today to speak more of God in your daily life. Go beyond mindless words in greetings, and use it as a time to set your mind and voice on God.
No matter what your circumstances, God is with you, and is to be praised! Give him praise and thanks today for his presence in your life, and seek to greet others in his name.
- Richard M.