I Know My Redeemer Lives

It may be because I’m older, or it may be because I see so many people who are hurting. But as we’ve gone through the book of Ruth, I have been drawn to the pain that both Naomi and Ruth experienced, how each of them walked through that pain, and how God was faithful, even in their pain. Even when they couldn’t see His faithfulness.

Naomi had lost so very much. She had lost contact with her homeland when they moved.  Then she lost her husband, but she still had her sons.  They both married; but then after being in the land of Moab for about 10 years, her sons died. Somewhere along the way, I had missed that they had been there for about 10 years, and the Bible reads as if the sons were married a large portion of that time.  In all those years, there had been no children for her sons and their wives.  I wonder how often Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah had each wondered why there were no children.  But there was hope….. until both of Naomi’s sons died. I’m sure it seemed like hope died with them.
 
When Naomi decides to return home, she releases her daughters-in-law, allowing them to search for hope in other places, with other people.  But Ruth has seen something in Naomi that causes her to stay.  Actually, Ruth is adamant that she is going to stay with Naomi.  I’ve often wondered what Ruth saw in Naomi.  Did she see Naomi’s faith, faith that was vocal even in its pain, still pointing to a God who loved her?  Faith that loved and released others in the midst of pain? How lonely that must have felt for Naomi to tell them to return to their families. Yet she was willing to release them to find hope again.  But somewhere, somehow, during those 10 years in a foreign country, Naomi had shown Ruth a love that created a bond that Ruth was not willing to break.

I have a tendency to fast-forward to the end of the story; but if we do that, we miss so much that happens in the middle.  Naomi and Ruth return to people who were excited to see Naomi. But Naomi was still in grief, and she named it, literally – “Do not call me Naomi: call me Mara [Bitter] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.  I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty.” (Ruth 1:20-21).  How powerful is that?  She had the courage to name her grief and the emotions that were connected to that grief, but she didn’t get stuck in her grief.  She continued to mentor Ruth, to guide her, to love her; and Ruth listened.  Ruth had chosen to stay with Naomi, and she continued to choose to honor Naomi.
 
In the midst of all the pain that both women had endured, God was faithful.  Let’s say it a little louder so the people in the back can hear it…..GOD WAS FAITHFUL! They were both redeemed.  Ruth became the great grandmother of David, and Naomi became the great great grandmother of David.  It’s so easy to say that, and to think of how wonderful that was. But let’s not forget the middle of the story.

The ending wasn’t what either had expected when in the middle.  Naomi had some deep grief to navigate, as did Ruth.  The child did not come directly from Naomi’s sons, and her husband never saw this child.  Ruth never had a child with her first husband.  She had to leave the land of her childhood and make new friends, learn new customs, and experience poverty.  But through it all, as they looked back and as we look back, they can see, and I hope we too can see, that God was faithful.  Even though Naomi was bitter, God did not desert her. He did not leave her alone.  God honored Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi.  I wonder how often both Ruth and Naomi became a representation of God with skin on to each other.
 
As we look toward celebrating Mother’s Day, some of us are rejoicing in what God has done.  Some of us are grieving, asking God why He hasn’t done what we’ve asked.  Some are both rejoicing and grieving at the same time.  Yes, that’s very possible.  Wherever you are in the process, I pray that you are able to see and know that God is present with you.  I hope that there are those of us who can comfort those that are hurting, who can mentor those who are lonely and unsure of what to do next.  And I hope that whatever our role is this Mother’s Day, whatever joy or grief we may be experiencing, that we can see God with us, knowing that He is our Redeemer and that His love is with us.

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives! - Job 19:25
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