Praise the Lord, who has remembered today to give you someone who will take care of you. The child’s name will be famous in Israel.
Ruth 4:14
No matter how bad things get, you can be sure that what God wants to happen will happen. A lot of times God gets his people to do what they need to do by letting them suffer. Naomi had to move to Moab because her family suffered from a famine, and famine was also the reason Jacob and his sons went to Egypt. Every time that things seemed to be the worst they could be, it turned out to be all part of God’s plan.
In the midst of trials you never know what good’s gonna come, but if you only concentrate on the bad parts of life, then bad is all you’re gonna see. When you can see your trials and suffering as just a crucial step to where you were meant to go, then nothing can get in your way. You can be depression-free, worry-free, lonely-free, and fear-free. In fact, when you aren’t free from those things but are ruled by them, you are believing a lie about God—the lie that he isn’t in control and he can’t work all things out for the good of those who love him. But as we see time and again in Scripture, God is not a distant observer but an active participant. He has plans for the lives of his kids, and all you need to do is trust him enough to find out what his plans are.
Ruth was not from the family of faith. She didn’t know Naomi’s God, but she chose to trust him and to commit to following Naomi to her homeland. Even though Ruth didn’t know what would happen to her, she was not going to give up her devotion to her mother-in-law, her people, and her God. Through the fearless faithfulness of Ruth, God would bring the lineage of David and then Jesus himself.
Though fear and doubt surround you and all seems to be lost, take heart, God Girl—he is in control and he won’t let you suffer for long. Just cling to the truth and refuse the sins of worry and fear, and you will be set free to soar.