Finding Safety in God's Care, the Story of RuthHalimbawa

New hope, new blessings

“The women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.’” (Ruth 4:14-15)

When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, she was destitute and lonely. The Lord had dealt very bitterly with her, she said. By the end of the book of Ruth, things are very different. The women of the town congratulate Naomi and point out that the LORD has blessed her richly. In addition to a daughter-in-law who is “more to her than seven sons,” she has a son-in-law and a grandchild who will carry on the family name and will be able to take care of Naomi in her old age.

Much has changed for Ruth as well. She lost her first husband and had to leave her family behind, but now God gives her a new husband and a child. She is fully accepted as part of the people of Israel. Her trust in the Lord has not been disappointed!

Ruth could not have suspected beforehand that her life would turn out this way. She probably would not have chosen this life road herself, because being a widow in a foreign land was not easy. But her life story shows us that sometimes the Lord uses difficult circumstances in His good plan. Is there an example of that in your own life?