For you not against you
As you look ahead to the future, does joy rise or is the future empty? Or maybe even worse than empty, emptied of hope? On my lowest days since Trevor died, I looked ahead and thought the best is behind and my future lost, because God was no longer on my side.
The story of Naomi spoke powerfully to me. Naomi’s life was devastated by loss. Not only her husband but her two sons died. Unimaginable grief. She concludes, “The Lord’s hand is against me”.
When life is hard, have you ever been tempted to believe that? Maybe you don’t go as far as Naomi and think God is against you, but inside as you look at your future, you secretly question whether God will hold true to his promise to work for your good ? (Romans 8:28)
A while ago, I was thinking about how God prunes us to make us more fruitful and said to the Lord, “Please, no more pruning, I can’t handle anymore” then added, “Oh, but I do still want to be fruitful”. A gentle voice spoke to me, “What do you think I’m like? Do you think I’m wielding a machete to devastate your life?” And I thought of how I carefully pruned my roses and my raspberries. I don’t want to destroy them.
It comes down to whether I trust that God is for me or against me.
Naomi railed against the Lord, convinced he was against her. She saw herself going back from Moab to an empty future in Bethlehem and she tried to stop anyone joining her journey into despair. She tells her loving daughter-in-law Ruth to go away. But - and here is where the story turns, here is the moment that touched me so deeply - Ruth clung to her.
Ruth clung on. This tender picture of God’s loving commitment to us brought me to tears. God showed me that this is what he does for me. At our lowest moment, God clings onto us. God refuses to let go of us. God is not against us but chooses to be for us. God goes with us to transform what looks like a barren future.
That’s what God did for Naomi. The story ends with her, not alone, but surrounded by dear friends who pray that God will renew her life. The story ends up with the future on Naomi’s lap, a baby boy whose descendant Jesus was born to renew every life.
Today, know that the Lord’s hand is for you, stretched out in Jesus to renew your life.
