Devotion:

Have you ever been in a situation so difficult that you couldn’t see how it could possibly get better?

Naomi experienced something like that. It all started with a great famine in Israel. Hungry and hoping to find food and a better life, Naomi and her family left their home in Bethlehem and traveled to the foreign land of Moab. Once there, Naomi’s situation became even more difficult. Her husband died, and then her only two sons died. Now she was left alone, far from home, and hopeless. In her despair, Naomi told her widowed daughters-in-law that “the Almighty has brought calamity upon me.” She believed God was punishing her.

However, Ruth loved her mother-in-law Naomi and chose to go with her to Naomi’s hometown of Bethlehem to care for her. Even though Ruth wasn’t an Israelite, she chose to live there and love and serve the God of Israel. Although Naomi and Ruth were both widows during a time when there were very few job opportunities for unmarried women, Ruth trusted that God had a plan to protect and provide for them. 

Once they arrived in Bethlehem, Boaz, Naomi’s relative, had compassion for Naomi and Ruth. He protected them, made sure they had food, and was obedient to God’s plan by marrying Ruth. They had a son, which brought great joy to Naomi (Ruth 4:13-17). Naomi’s situation seemed hopeless, but God used Boaz and Ruth’s love, compassion, and obedience to provide hope, a new family, and a future for her.

But that is not all. God provided hope for all of us! Ruth and Boaz are the great-grandparents of King David (Matthew 1:5-6), which means they’re also the direct ancestors of Jesus (Matthew 1:16). The town they lived in, Bethlehem, was the same place Jesus was born years later. 

Just like God redeemed Naomi, he had a plan to redeem the whole world through his Son, Jesus. God is always working, even in difficult circumstances, and he always has a plan for us.