He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.

–Ruth 4:15

Naomi’s sad story starts with the loss of her husband and sons. This was tragic for a Jewish woman. She had no one to provide for her, no chance of a descendant. Her loving daughter-in-law, Ruth, who said “Entreat me not to leave thee,” (from the King James, because I think it’s poetic!) traveled with Naomi to Bethlehem, their ancestral home. Ruth humbly went to the barley fields of a relative, Boaz, to provide sustenance by gleaning the grains left by the reapers. The hard-working young woman was noticed by Boaz, who quietly provided extra grain for her. Naomi wisely arranged a marriage, and Ruth gave birth to a son, Obed, thus becoming the great-grandmother of the sweet singer of Israel, David. That genealogy proceeded through generations to both Mary and Joseph, parents of the long-expected Messiah. God had a plan for Naomi to be cared for in life, and to be part of the ancestry of The Christ.

This holy time of year we may feel a measure of the grief of Naomi – insecurity, fear, loneliness – but this story shows us that God has a perfect plan within life’s chaos and sadness. Naomi and Ruth’s lives were seemingly out of control and without hope of a future. But God was always present, and their devotion to God and to each other opened their lives to God’s plan. They persevered, and God was, as always, faithful.

May we be found trusting and waiting with breathless, joyous expectation.