Have you lost hope? Or have you just settled with life the way you think it has to be?
Ruth thought she was going to settle with the life of being a widow.
But before we talk about Ruth, we need to talk about Naomi because this miraculous story began long before Ruth was in the picture and the stories of these two women are so beautifully intertwined.
Naomi, her husband, and her sons left Bethlehem during a time of famine and moved to Moab. Her husband passed away, and her sons both married Moabite women. But then her sons passed away as well. Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and told her daughters-in-law to return to their homes.
Ruth Chapter 1, v 11-13.
Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters, why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that may become your husbands? 12 Go back, my daughters, go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, and if I actually had a husband tonight and even gave birth to sons, 13 would you wait until they were grown? Would you go without marrying? No, my daughters; for it is much more [a]difficult for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has gone against me.” Naomi thought the Lord was against her, but she could not see what blessing was on the other side of her trial-that she would be blessed with a family through Ruth.
Naomi had no hope, and she thought that by sending her daughters-in-law home, they could have hope. But Ruth refused.
Without realizing it, Ruth opened her heart to a God she had never known. Without realizing it, she changed the course of her future. Even though she accepted a fate that seemed as if she would have no hope, God had a plan, and He wasn't done yet.
Ruth 1: 16.
Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God, will be my God.
Ruth put her faith in the God who is hope!
Again, in verse 20, Naomi declares her lack of hope.
Naomi said, “Don’t call me Naomi; call me Mara which means Bitter. The Strong One has dealt me a bitter blow. I left here full of life, and God has brought me back with nothing but the clothes on my back. Why would you call me Naomi? God certainly doesn’t. The Strong One ruined me.”
Those are strong words! “The strong one ruined me.” She is bitter, she is bitter with God. She blames God. I will admit that I’ve been there. Have you?
But the reason she didn't want to be called Naomi is that Naomi means “my joy.” She had lost her hope because she lost her joy.
Don’t let the enemy steal your joy!
When Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem, the harvest was just beginning. I think that is very crucial to this story of hope. Timing is everything with God...His timing. Naomi left during the famine, but she returned during harvest, and God uses the harvest to fulfill His purpose.
If it wasn’t time for the harvest, Ruth would not have been able to follow behind the workers of the field picking up what they left behind. If it wasn't time for the harvest, the wealthy landowner would not have taken notice of her. If it were not time for the harvest, Ruth would not have found her kinsman-redeemer.
A kinsman-redeemer is the closest living relative that can rescue, or bring goodness or honor. A kinsman-redeemer could have many responsibilities including financial if the person was in debt. So this was never a matter to be taken lightly, and Ruth's true kinsman-redeemer did not want the responsibility. So the responsibility fell to Boaz.
Boaz had already taken notice of Ruth, and he fell in love with her. Eventually, Ruth gave birth to a son and is part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. She had settled on believing that her future was based on her circumstances, but God wasn't done yet.
If you feel like you have no hope, or if you have lost your joy, remember God’s not done yet. He will restore these things to you, just like he did Ruth and Naomi.
Dear Lord, help me put my trust in you. In you I can find hope and joy again. Help me remember that where I am now isn’t the end of my story. You have a plan and a purpose for me. My time is coming because you’re not done yet! Amen
Journal prompt: Are there any areas in my life that I have lost hope? What brings me joy?
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