Ryan Daffron

“The women said to Naomi, ‘Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a redeemer.’” — Ruth 4:14

SOUNDING
The story of Ruth begins with grief. Naomi leaves Bethlehem during a famine with her husband and two sons, hoping to survive in the land of Moab. Instead, tragedy unfolds. Her husband dies. Her two sons marry Moabite women, but within a few years both sons die as well. Naomi is left with nothing but loss and the weight of an uncertain future. When she finally returns to Bethlehem, she tells the people not to call her Naomi anymore. “Call me Mara,” she says, because her life feels bitter and empty.

Yet while Naomi believes God has abandoned her, the story quietly reveals something different. Ruth refuses to leave her side and travels with her back to Bethlehem. In the barley fields Ruth meets Boaz, a man of integrity who shows kindness and protection toward her. Through a series of faithful steps, Boaz becomes Ruth’s redeemer—marrying her and restoring the family line that Naomi believed had ended.

When Ruth gives birth to a son, the women of Bethlehem gather around Naomi and speak words she never expected to hear: “The LORD has not left you.” What Naomi thought was the end of her story was actually the middle of it. God had been working through loyalty, sacrifice, and quiet providence the entire time. The child born in her arms becomes the grandfather of King David and part of the lineage that will one day lead to Christ.

Naomi’s story reminds us that God’s faithfulness often unfolds slowly. What feels like abandonment in one chapter may become redemption in another.

BEARING
God is present and working even in the chapters that feel bitter or confusing.

PRAYER
Lord, help me trust that You are still writing redemption into the parts of my story that feel unfinished.

DROP IN
Reflect on one difficult season from your past and thank God for the ways He carried you through it.