I’ve been blogging my way through the bible book of Ruth.

And, to be honest, I’ve been surprised.

When people preach about the story of Ruth, they talk about Ruth. Ruth doing the right thing, Ruth being committed to her mother-in-law against all odds and Ruth risking it on the barley fields. 

Don’t get me wrong: Ruth’s a total babe! She’s a woman of Godly character and obedience.

But the thing that strikes me is that the book of Ruth starts and finishes with Naomi. She may not have won the book’s title, but Naomi is a woman that I find myself absolutely fascinated with.

I wrote in my first Ruth-related blog post, that Naomi had lost hope. She called herself bitter and said that the Lord’s hand was against her. She did not expect much more from her life other than a lonely walk from Moab to Judah.

Yet, by chapter four, Naomi is caring for her Grandson and women around her are literally cheering. She is certainly not alone:

“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 in 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: 15 – 17, NIV.

I empathize with Naomi. She lost her husband and her sons; She thought that there was no way her life was ever going to look pleasant again. 

She thought she would be lonely, yet God gave her a loyal daughter-in-law, a guardian redeemer and plenty of other women cheering her on.

Look what God did! 

God redeemed Naomi from her pit in a way she did not think was possible.

What baffles me and excites me about this story is that Naomi did not even consider her life would ever look like this, when she was first bereaved.

When we put our hope in Jesus – even just a little bit – He does incredible, un-thinkable things that we never even think to dream of. 

He can turn any situation around, just by being present.

I wonder, did Ruth just showing up and saying “let’s walk together”somehow, at some point stir a little hope up in Naomi’s heart?

Hope that maybe her God had not left her. 

Even so, I don’t think she ever believed such hope would birth such an incredible picture of redemption. A picture in which she gets to sit with family again – a son to care for, again.

It’s really incredible.

As I write to you, I find myself encouraged by Naomi’s story. God didn’t give up on her. God surrounded her with family and such a brilliant legacy – her grandson was to be in the lineage of Christ!

God turns things around in a way us humans just cannot.

I’ve written about my birth trauma on this blog before and I have also written about my health – underlying illnesses I’ve faced. 

Trauma (or PTSD) is such a weird, old thing. Something that desperately needs more awareness. 

It’s strange because it’s all about how your brain stores a memory. 

For instance, whenever something in your immediate environment reminds you of a memory that your brain has stored as “traumatic” you can get various symptoms. 

For me, my key symptoms are rumination (thinking about an event over and over again with no peace or conclusion) and anxiety (sweaty palms, sometimes racing heart.)

I dealt with my trauma through therapy, yet it still comes back unexpectedly. It’s something I still have to work on. It’s a journey. 

And I’ve had massive healing on that journey. I wrote about some of that healing in my last blog post.

Yet, my story is not finished yet. There is more healing to be had. This is not a place I am supposed to stay.

What I am trying to get to is this: 

Maybe, like me, you’ve reached a place where you’ve seen some victory, but you’ve been reminded that you are not fully free. Not fully healed. 

The truth is, for those of us who believe in Jesus there will be a day where we are standing with Him face to face and we will be healed from these things that downright bug us (and make us cry, a lot!)

I promise you that day is coming.

Yet, Naomi’s story also tells me this:

• For those of us who have been brokenhearted…
• For those of us who managed to put a little bit of hope in God after we’d kicked and screamed and gone a little bitter…
• For those of us who are frustrated about the thing in front of us that looks like a setback after we’ve seen some victory…

We have more redemption to come, if only we put our hope in Jesus.

Our story is not over. 

Hope is a funny thing, because when we place it in the wrong thing or person we experience disappointment and frustration. 

But, when we put hope in the right person – Jesus – our hearts are never disappointed. 

In fact, when we put our hope in Jesus we receive more spiritual healing than we could ever have hoped for. And physically, we also see and experience healing that we could have never dreamed of.

I just keep thinking of Naomi’s face holding her Grandson. The Grandson she hadn’t expected, imagined or considered possible.

The fact that God would do that for her stirs something up in me.

That God would give that once-bitter woman a thousand times more she could have ever dared to think of. Like the thought of this happening for her would not have crossed her mind!

What is God going to do in each of our lives?

What things haven’t crossed our minds yet, that He is definitely willing to do?

How is He going to turn our situation around?

We can find out the answer to these things by putting our hope in Jesus.

By letting Him in again: In on the pain, in on the frustration and in on anything that looks like a setback.

Naomi’s hope was restored because a bunch of people came around her and helped her see God’s grace, when she could not.

In chapter 1, Naomi’s daughter-in-law, Ruth, makes a commitment: “I’m coming with you and serving your God.”

In chapter 4, Naomi’s female friends are dancing around her saying: “Look what God has done for you Naomi.”

Female friends make her see God when she cannot, and that slice of hope she puts in Him, is then used for His glory in a way she could have never imagined.

So, today, consider me your friend, begging you to put your hope in God: He’s going to do more for you, I promise. This is not the end of your redemption. Hope in Jesus and start to feel the pain in your heart melt away. 

God really can turn any situation around. Just like He did for Naomi, so He can do for you.