Wherever we are in our journey, it is often hard to see the next step. We are told not to wish our lives away with what is coming next. It is all too easy to be fearful as you expect worse is around the corner or disappointed when the grand expectations you had do not work out.
As Ruth headed off to a foreign land, the land of her mother-in-law I doubt she would have expected to have remarried or had children. We can be fairly certain she did not expect to be the great-grandmother of David and a descendant of Jesus at the beginning of the story:
Boaz married Ruth, and the Lord blessed her with a son. After his birth, the women said to Naomi:
Praise the Lord! Today he has given you a grandson to take care of you. We pray that the boy will grow up to be famous everywhere in Israel
Naomi loved the boy and took good care of him. The neighborhood women named him Obed, but they called him “Naomi’s Boy.”
When Obed grew up he had a son named Jesse, who later became the father of King David.
Ruth 4:13-17 [CEV]
The truth is that life on earth will include obstacles and challenges. Some may seem to have lives full of pain, while others are seemingly easy. Some problems appear suddenly, others you see creeping up.
But joy and fulfilment happen in the same way. You can be suddenly overcome by joy or slowly gain satisfaction in a string of events or words.
Jeremiah 29:11 is well known, it says “”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” These words are difficult to hear or read when you are not feeling prospered or hopeful. Spend some time thinking over your life and how God has fulfilled those plans in your past. He will do the same in the future too.
Lord, Thank you for the future you have prepared for me. Fill me with hope when I feel hopeless. Let me fill others with hope when they feel hopeless. Help me to always keep you in sight.
Anna Naish
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