Key Texts: Ruth 1-4; Esther 1-7;
Revelation 22: 16
Additional Texts: Titus 2: 14; Micah 7: 18-19
Last week’s entry explored the inescapable variety of seasons in our lives; we experience high and low seasons, regardless of age, background, social standing or
beliefs. This entry focuses more on God’s ability to shift us from some of these seasons of sorrow to seasons of joy, as seen in the lives of Ruth, Naomi and Esther.
Sometimes, through no direct prayers of our own, God shifts us from pain to joy, opposition to deliverance, or captivity to freedom, according to His will. At other times, great shifts in seasons may be a result of prayers which we or others have prayed, interceding for God’s intervention. In either case, though we don’t fully understand God’s will, it sometimes includes helping us to navigate stormy seasons, after which divine support aids us in transitioning to the other side of suffering. At other times, instead of the deliverance we desire, God gives us grace to cope and ultimately glorify Him.
When Naomi left Bethlehem with her family, it was a temporary arrangement. There was famine in the land, and they moved to escape the hardships. They had left their possessions behind, perhaps hoping to return to them when circumstances were better. Sadly, her husband and two sons passed away, leaving her with two daughters-in-law (Ruth and Orpah), and pain which made her bitter. She renamed herself after her season as we sometimes do, referring to herself as Mara. The name Mara reflected her belief at the time that God had been harsh with her. Ruth was also bereaved, losing her husband and extended family too. When conditions improved in Bethlehem, Naomi decided to return home, and though she tried to convince Ruth to return to her family, she refused to listen, vowing to worship Naomi’s God, live amongst her people and serve her.
Naomi was in a dark season that she did not anticipate, and this emotional trauma caused her to be blinded to the fact that she was not returning empty, but with support, an in-law who had been converted perhaps through her faith, and property which she could sell to sustain her in that season. Don’t judge her. Weeping endures for a night and joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30: 5), but one precedes the other – though it’s not impossible, they rarely coexist. Weeping is unpleasant, and some people find it more distressing than others. Be thankful if you’ve not endured any seasons which knock the wind out of you, or if you did, and you laughed and praised your way through, but don’t criticise others’ response to their pain. Pray instead that God will lead them to peace. Seasons of sadness can cause us to focus only on the pain – it is possible to be so broken, that hope disappears, but through God’s timing, Naomi’s overwhelming grief subsided, and yours can do the same. Before her decision to return home, God began to shift her into a season quite unlike what she expected. Ruth, returning with nothing more than a commitment to serve Naomi, was also oblivious that their decision to move was a divine orchestration to position her to be in the lineage of David and subsequently, our Redeemer – Jesus.
Her act of kindness to Naomi resulted in Boaz buying the property from her, thereby acquiring Ruth as a wife as well. Through their union, Naomi gained new family and saw her joy restored, and Ruth became the mother of Obed, three generations before kingship in her bloodline. Ruth and Boaz conceived Obed, the father of Jesse who fathered David. David was also in Christ’s bloodline, so in addition to the comfort she felt after her loss, Ruth played a part in history – Jesus’ life on earth – a perpetual blessing extending to us today. Ruth did not regain her first husband, nor did Naomi her previous life, but God walked them through the valley of loss, restored them and used their lives for His glory.
All their loss, grief and upheavals did not stop God’s ultimate plan. It is reassuring to know that despite Naomi’s season of grief and bitterness against God, He did not condemn her and still had good thoughts about her. He used what she had remaining to bless her. Indeed, when Ruth was marrying her first husband, she perhaps thought it would last longer, but God knew that he would die in Moab. That season of happiness Ruth had with him was short-lived, and it must have been difficult to adjust to life without him. It must have been worse for Naomi, having lost both her sons and her husband. It seemed that season of lack and pain was permanent, but the ensuing one, in God’s time as planned, played a significant role in Jesus’ time on earth. In a similar way, God may choose to stir dramatic shifts in your life. Our seasons vary, so we may not have the same experiences as Ruth and Naomi. It is reassuring to know the nature of God though; He is able to provide through unexpected means, and as He did for these women, create masterpieces from our ashes (Isaiah 61: 3-4).
In our second key text, unlike the season of challenges for Ruth and Naomi which resulted from death, the book of Esther is a chronicle of God’s divine timing to save Esther, Mordecai and their beloved people from the hands of the evil leadership which was intent on annihilating them. Though Esther and her uncle Mordecai eventually discovered specific plans against their people, God already knew and planned the perfect time to save them. Esther’s people – the people of Israel, were in a situation wherein their lives were under threat. Perhaps they were unaware of the plot involving genocide against them in that season, but they benefited from the ensuing season of peace and support from king Xerxes. After the former queen’s (Vashti’s) failure to please Xerxes, he was keen to promote respect of men in relationships; he dismissed her as queen and sought a replacement. Though many young and eligible women moved to his harem, Esther found favour with the king, and through that relationship, in God’s time, He used her to reverse the ultimate fate His people would have faced if Haman had his way.
I’m unsure of the time that passed between Esther becoming queen, and Xerxes inviting her to ask any request which he promised to grant. I do know though that God had elevated her to that influential position in preparation for the shift His people would need. We often think our prayers go unanswered, but sometimes, like that situation in the book of Esther, God makes preparations for our deliverance before we are even aware we will need it! He is omniscient, and in His all-encompassing knowledge, often steps ahead of (our) time to enact His will. After Haman was impaled on the same pole he designed for Mordecai, Esther was still uneasy about his ten brothers, and continued to use her influence to remove them as a threat from her people (Chapter 9). Though victory was celebrated and the main threat – Haman was removed, God still had someone in position, anticipating a future change in seasons for the worse. Esther continued to be an advocate for her people, and did not rest until she felt they were safe from Haman’s relatives.
Whether we are in rough seasons due to loss like Ruth and Naomi, seasons of opposition like Esther as she fought for her people, or any other painful experience, let us strive to maintain hope in God’s ability to deliver. Like the kinsman redeemer in the book of Ruth, Jesus, our Redeemer, willingly paid the ultimate cost to save us, and through His name, invites us to pray and seek Him when we need help. Deliverance may not come as we anticipate as I noted in Blots, Flaws and Revelations, but in submission to God, His will will be done either way. It must have been very difficult seasons for the women in our texts today, but their ensuing joyful seasons superseded those dark seasons. You may wonder why God hasn’t delivered you yet, but perhaps it’s because He has a plan you didn’t envision, and He wants to transport you to a new season to glorify Him. Don’t forget that – any deliverance from awful seasons, crying to laughing again, sickness to wholeness, confusion to clarity, apathy to faithfulness or more tangible blessings, is for His glory. Delays and seasons of waiting are unnerving, but try to remember Naomi’s and Esther’s deliverance the next time you begin to fear or doubt that God will deliver.
In any season that breaks us, praying may be difficult; I pray that even if all you manage is a moment, minute or five today, you will talk to God about your concerns. He hears, and His timing for deliverance or visible answers to prayer is perfect. We only know that in retrospect sometimes. Be patient. He will answer with His best plan for you, to shift you to a new season in His carefully selected divine time.
Heartfelt Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for speaking to me through Your Word. I am reassured to know that there are others who have seen dramatic shifts by Your hand, but admittedly still dubious sometimes about whether You will answer my prayers. Please hear my plea today for intervention in my circumstances – I desire more than anything a great shift in this season, and pray that You will continue to help me through each day. Esther’s, Ruth’s and Naomi’s stories reflect Your ability to change circumstances in Your perfect time and according to Your perfect will, even if the outcome is different to what I expect. Please grant me the grace to wait aim You. I ask this in Your Son, Jesus’s name. Amen.
