You Will Be Full Again
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth."
Then Naomi took the child into her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, "Naomi has a son!" And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Ruth 4:13-17
Then Naomi took the child into her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, "Naomi has a son!" And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Ruth 4:13-17
Naomi came from Moab with Ruth, destitute, empty and bitter. She asked her townspeople not to call her Naomi which means pleasant, but to call her Mara, which means bitter because the Almighty had made her life bitter. Her words were sorrowful: "The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." Naomi's sense of desolation convinced her that her God had turned against her: "I went away full but the LORD has brought me back empty."
But God had a plan all along. God brought Naomi back to take away the emptiness and make her full again. Through Ruth, God gave Naomi a son who became the grandfather of David, the most famous king of Israel and one who is peerless even today! The emptiness was replaced with the fullness of being linked into a royal lineage and the ancestry of Jesus Christ. Could Naomi ever have imagined this? Absolutely not! We never know what God has in store for us!
The truth is: In our time of destitution and emptiness, it is easy to spout words of discouragement. It is easy to feel that God has abandoned us and that there is no hope for us. All we see is a gloomy tunnel which seems to have no end. We become inconsolable.
But God is not a destroyer. God is a builder. God only allows us to be stripped so that He can fill us up again. He strips us of things that can hinder us so that he can fill us up with things that engender His agenda for our lives and His purposes. His plans are always for our good, never for evil.
You might be feeling empty and dejected like Naomi but be assured that God has a plan in place. He did not leave Naomi empty. He filled her up again. God has not forsaken you. He will fill you up again. Would you take time to reflect over this?
The process and the reality are never pleasant but in the end, God replaces our weeping with joy. You will be full again!
But God had a plan all along. God brought Naomi back to take away the emptiness and make her full again. Through Ruth, God gave Naomi a son who became the grandfather of David, the most famous king of Israel and one who is peerless even today! The emptiness was replaced with the fullness of being linked into a royal lineage and the ancestry of Jesus Christ. Could Naomi ever have imagined this? Absolutely not! We never know what God has in store for us!
The truth is: In our time of destitution and emptiness, it is easy to spout words of discouragement. It is easy to feel that God has abandoned us and that there is no hope for us. All we see is a gloomy tunnel which seems to have no end. We become inconsolable.
But God is not a destroyer. God is a builder. God only allows us to be stripped so that He can fill us up again. He strips us of things that can hinder us so that he can fill us up with things that engender His agenda for our lives and His purposes. His plans are always for our good, never for evil.
You might be feeling empty and dejected like Naomi but be assured that God has a plan in place. He did not leave Naomi empty. He filled her up again. God has not forsaken you. He will fill you up again. Would you take time to reflect over this?
The process and the reality are never pleasant but in the end, God replaces our weeping with joy. You will be full again!
Prayer: Father, I thank you for the assurance that the emptiness I feel is not the end of my story. I have faith that you will fill me up again. Just like you did for Naomi, I stand hopeful that I will be full again. Amen.