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Presented by Jenn Miller
Have you ever experienced such bitter circumstances that it feels like the Lord is against you? Naomi did.
In the book of Ruth, we read Naomi and her family were forced to move to a different country and culture because of a famine in their homeland. Just imagine packing up two children with your husband and leaving everything you ever knew to start again in a new culture. But shortly after arriving, Naomi’s husband died. After being there 10 years, her sons married, which probably seemed hopeful and joyous. However, any joy was short-lived as both of her sons passed away too.
At this time in history, a woman with no husband, no sons, and no extended male family members had little chance of survival. Not only did Naomi face abject poverty, but all her hopes and expectations for what her life would look like fell to pieces. After coming back to Israel, she quickly tells those who once knew her to not call her Naomi (meaning pleasant) but Mara (meaning bitter). In Ruth 1:20-21 we get a glimpse into how Naomi viewed God in her suffering. She says,
Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me (Ruth 1:20-21).
Interestingly, Naomi’s lament isn’t one directed to God—she doesn’t come to him with her burdens, but she does attribute her troubles to him. I think this lack of coming to God is what allowed the bitterness to grow.
Have you been there? Have you experienced extreme loss and found yourself thinking, “Why would God allow such bitterness to come into my life?” If you are in this kind of suffering today, where it feels like the Lord has dealt you a lot that is more suffering than you can handle, keep reading the book of Ruth. In Naomi’s suffering, all she could see was the loss, but throughout the book, God shows that he had not forgotten Naomi. He was actively working for her good. By the end of the story, the people around her are praising God because of how he redeemed Naomi’s story and brought joy. Friend, in the depths of your pain, don’t let bitterness grow. Bring your pain to Jesus. He will walk with you through it and is at work even now for your redemption.
