So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
– Ruth 1:22
This is one of my favorite verses, I was about to say in the Book of Ruth, but I think in the Bible. And part of it’s because Ruth is one of my favorite books in the Bible. And this sentence, there’s so much I could talk about that goes into why this is one of my favorite verses. But this was a low point in Naomi’s life. She had lost her husband and her two sons. She was returning back to her homeland from Moab, not just a foreign land, but a forbidden land. And she has a Moabite daughter-in-law with her.
Ruth 1:22 teaches us that God is working even when we can’t see it.
And she’s just said before this, “I went away full and the Lord has brought me back empty.” But what happens at the end of verse 22 is the narrator, author of the Book of Ruth says they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. The picture shows Naomi has no idea all the good God has in store for her and her family in this barley harvest and in this Moabite daughter-in-law next to her. The overarching takeaway from this verse is that in the moments when God may feel farthest from you, the reality is he may actually be setting the stage for the greatest displays of his faithfulness to you in ways far beyond what you can imagine.
The takeaway from Ruth 1:22 is that in the middle of the sorrowful tragedy in Naomi’s life, God was actually setting the stage for a surprising triumph in Naomi’s life. And I just want to encourage you with that word today, especially if you’re at a low point, or especially if you’re going through something hard or to hide this away in your heart for low points, hard days to come. Trust in God. That in the hard he is working, he’s working for your good in ways you cannot see. You can hope in God. He is, I know this, it’s promised straight from his Word in Romans 8:28, in all things, including the hard things, he’s working all things together for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose.
Ruth 1:22 shows how God turns sorrow into triumph.
So trust in the Lord of the harvest that when things feel, seem, and are barren and you feel empty and you are full of sorrow, trust that God is good and God loves you and God is working for your good and you can trust him. God, we praise you for this reality. We praise you for the story of the Book of Ruth and how you take sorrowful tragedy and turn it into surprising triumph for how in the moments when Naomi felt like you were far from her, you were actually with her and working for her good. And you would show your faithfulness to her in ways that would astound her.
And God, I just pray this over every single person listening to this right now, especially those who are in hard days, in low moments, God, that they would know you are with them and you’re working for them. You would pour out your grace in a fresh way on them today and you would help them see the hope that they have in you and in your good plans for them.
This verse pictures hope in the midst of suffering.
And God, for anybody who’s not walking through that kind of time right now, I pray that this truth would lodge deep in their hearts, that they might be able to hold on to it in those days. And we praise you, God, for how you’ve shown your faithfulness to your people in story after story in Scripture and story after story in our lives and ultimately in the gospel. God, how you took a sorrowful tragedy, the death of your Son, and turned it into a surprising triumph, our salvation for eternity.
All glory be to your Name. You’re able to take that which the adversary intends for evil and turn it for good. And sorrow and tragedy are not the end of anyone’s story who knows you. So God, help us to believe this and help us to spread this. God, help us to spread this in a world that needs this good news.
Prayer for the Sumbawa People
God, we pray specifically today for the Sumbawa people of Indonesia, for half a million of them who don’t know this good news, who don’t know what you’ve done for them, and for Jesus who faced sorrowful tragedy in this world. And that is the end of the story for them.
God, we pray, God, we pray, bring your salvation to all the peoples of the world, including the Sumbawa, and help us, use us as the people who know the hope that we have in you, that we would spread this hope. Lord, we pray in light of your Word to us that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. God, we pray for harvest in our families and our neighborhoods, our communities, the cities where we live, and harvest among the nation’s people coming to know the hope in you because we’re spreading the hope we have in you and facing whatever this world brings our way with hope in you. We love you Jesus and we pray all these things according to your Word, which we love in Ruth 1:22. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
