In Hard Places
19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” 20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” 22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. (Ruth 1:19-22)
Naomi had left her home in Bethlehem, with her husband and two sons, because of a famine. The family settled in Moab, likely intending to stay only until it was safe to return home. We are not told how long they were in Moab before Naomi's husband died, but Naomi and her sons remained there as her sons grew up. The young men married Moabite women, but ten years after their arrival in Moab both sons died. Naomi, now without husband or sons, decided to return to Bethlehem upon hearing that the famine there had ended. Naomi released her daughters-in-law from any obligation to travel with her, and one chose to remain in Moab. But Ruth vowed to stay with Naomi no matter what. When the two women reached Bethlehem, those who knew Naomi were startled by her appearance. By way of explanation, Naomi asked to be called Mara - which means bitter - because God had brought such pain and loss in her life.
Much like the book of Job, the book of Ruth is an exploration of faith in the difficult parts of life's journey - and it's not always pretty. Naomi honestly voices her pain and casts the blame squarely on God. Whether or not God was the cause, God certainly allowed the circumstances that caused Naomi's pain. But even in this hard place, we can glimpse, even if Naomi couldn't, God's gracious provision in Ruth. It can be temping, in challenging times, to focus on everything that's not the way we'd like it to be, everything that hurts, everything that's hard, but God's grace is always present. May we learn, and remember, to trust God's provision even when we can't
immediately recognize it.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; 8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
(Psalm 146:5-10)
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