The height of a Disney princess ranges from five foot four to five foot seven—nothing more, nothing less. How do I know this, you ask? It’s the one fact that shattered all of my childhood aspirations in an instant. Standing at five foot ten, I’ve come to resent the last three inches that kept me from frolicking around the Magic Kingdom as Ariel, Belle, Snow White, or Pocahontas. It wasn’t just some childhood fantasy; it was a potential career path, guys.
I realize this is not that big of a deal. If I were five foot four, I probably would have had aspirations of being in the WNBA, falling several inches below the basketball hoop. Yes, we’ve all wished for more or for less, or just to step on over to the other side of the fence where the grass sure does look a whole lot greener.
We’ve all had those Goldilocks moments in our lives, times when the porridge is too hot or the chair is too small, the job is too difficult, the relationship too painful, or the circumstance too out of control.
After losing her husband and two sons, it’s no surprise that Naomi felt as if her life had become more than she could handle. And so when Ruth and Orpah, her daughters-in-law, offer to stay with her, Naomi tells them, “No, my daughters, my life is much too bitter for you to share, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me” (Ruth 1:13).
Too bitter.
How often do we believe God has turned against us when life begins to feel like too much? And yet the overwhelming circumstances we find ourselves in, the ones that make us feel like we’ll never be enough or have enough—these are the richest soil for God’s redemption. He loves to meet us in the places where we’ve given up and then shower us with His abundance.
Ruth could have easily walked away from Naomi, leaving her mother-in-law alone in her bitterness, just as God could have easily rejected us in our unfaithfulness. Thankfully, that’s not how the story goes. Both women chose to travel together, dusting off their wounds and collecting their sorrows. They didn’t know what they would find next, but they left “Moab, because [Naomi] had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to his people’s need by providing them food” (v.6).
If you’ve read this story before, you already know that God provided much more than food for these women. He gave Ruth a new husband, and in turn, Naomi also received a new son. But the story of Naomi and Ruth is about more than a God who will give us whatever we want and make all our dreams come true, if we’ll just muster up enough faith to believe in Him. This story, and all of Scripture, is about a God who is faithful when we are not.
Let us look to the One whose power is perfected in our weakness; He promises that His grace is exactly what we need—what our sin requires—and it is sufficient for everyone who leaves behind the ways of this world in order to follow Him (2 Corinthians 12:9). “Blessed be the LORD,” who redeems and restores (Ruth 4:14).
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21 thoughts on "Naomi and Ruth"
God’s faithfulness blows me away He stretches out His hand to Ruth and provides above and beyond “We can only assume that she had seen glimpses of God’s goodness in the lives of Naomi and her family. But then God goes above and beyond, providing not only for her survival, but gives her a husband and new family!
I too am so grateful for God’s faithfulness, even when I may not be faithful. He is so awesome!
God’s plan for good is poignant here. Ruth and Boaz in the lineage of our Saviour Jesus. May our God be praised in the ways He cares for the widows and in all the ways He cares for us. He is abundant in His extravagant love. Praying for the needs listed here. He is the healer and provider. May we see His miracles this day and give Him glory.
We forget that God is far sighted while we are so often short sighted. We look at our current circumstances and we can’t see how they can improve anytime soon. Naomi is bitter over her situation and appears resigned to a life of disappointment.(Isn’t is a bit surprising that Ruth goes along for the ride? I wonder if I would have- I’m not crazy about being around bitter folks even if they seem justified… but I digress…) Little did she know that God intended to use her and Ruth in His remarkable redemption story. Oh that I would remember to have God’s far sighted vision! He sees it all. He knows it all. He is sovereign over it all. He will get us through even though we can’t see how. Lord help us to be content because You are in control of Your grand plan. And help us to accept that though our faith may not become sight in our lifetime, You will be faithful to complete it in the lives of those coming behind. What a glorious hope we have in You! You are a promise keeper!
I will be praying for you all. “The Lord says, that he will never leave you nor forsake you.” He is on your side and I pray that your brother will be okay. My brother just a couple of years ago had a heart transplant. He made it through and now seems back to normal. I will be praying the same for your brother and for his wife that she would run to God in the midst of her storms and not the bottle.
Praying for your brother-in-law Dorothy, that his surgery will go smoothly and he will feel at peace and well cared for by those taking care of him. Praying also for Carol, that she will place her faith in God and allow Him to carry her through so she can be a strong support to her husband.
Praying for you Cheyenne, that God would bless you beyond measure in the days ahead.
Please consider donating, I could really use the help.
Ruth and Naomi left for Bethlehem not Moab.
Yes, but she quoted it as the scripture says it. Check it out.
Seems it was a typo, it was definitely Bethlehem.
As I was reading the verses from Proverbs 31 I was picturing my mother. My mother was a Christian woman through and through. She believed in giving and didn’t care about what she would receive in return. My mother’s heart I feel is what made me who I am today, a nurse with 40 years of caring experience, a loving mother of an AD/HD son, a faithful Christian woman and most of all a person who, sometimes too much, cares for and about others. I guess you can say I care about others the way Ruth cared about Naomi, or at least I have been told this.
I would like to ask you to pray for my brother-in-law, Bryan, because tomorrow he will be having surgery for heart valve repair —it isn’t closing properly. Also, for my sister, Carol, his wife, that she handle it well and not start drinking again. The Lord has been with her and she has been sober for about 9 or 10 months now.
May God bless all of you, my sisters in Christ. Happy Wednesday.