If Naomi
had dreamed about returning to her former home prosperous and successful,
entering Bethlehem would have been a nightmare. While living in a foreign land,
she had lost her husband and two sons and returned with only her
daughter-in-law Ruth and a heart full of sorrow. “Do not call me Naomi
[pleasant]; call me Mara [bitter],” she told her former neighbors, “for the
Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20).
But this
wasn’t the end of the story. When the discouraged Naomi saw God’s hand in
Ruth’s life, she said, “The Lord . . . has not forsaken His kindness to the
living and the dead!” (2:20). What appeared to be a dead-end had become a
doorway for these two women who had lost so much.
The Old
Testament book of Ruth is a wonderful story. The brief narrative is infused
with an amazing sweetness and grace as “the Lord” is mentioned time after time.
Through
Naomi and Ruth, we are reminded that God works in surprising ways to make His
love known and to accomplish His purposes—even during difficult times.
God’s
surprises continue so we can take heart. He has not stopped showing His
kindness to you and me.
What we
see of God’s provisions teaches us to trust Him for what we cannot see of His
purposes. (RBC)
