Day 20: Mystery and Redemption

Read: Ruth 4:13-16

Many years ago, I saw an artist painting a picture on a large canvas. I didn’t understand what he was doing. It just seemed like blobs of colour that didn’t fit together or make sense at all. I sat watching, unamused and dissatisfied. But when he was done he took the canvas and turned it upside down, much to my surprise, revealing a beautifully painted face. I had been seeing it from the wrong perspective all along.

The God of scripture is in the business of reorientation. Throughout history, God has brought restoration, redemption, and rebirth. He takes what is broken and damaged and creates beautiful things out of them. In the beginning, He took the earth which was formless and void and created the beautiful world we live in today (Gen 1:1). He shaped Adam out of the dust of the ground into a living, breathing man (Gen 2:7). He took Naomi, childless and widowed and redeemed her life, extending her lineage through Ruth.

 One of the most fascinating things about the story of Ruth and Naomi is that the son that Ruth bore turned out to be an ancestor of King David, a man God said to be after His own heart (1 Sam 13:14). And David was an ancestor of Jesus Christ the Messiah, who would, thousands of years after Naomi, redeem all of history itself, from the beginning of time to its very end. Naomi had no idea this was the case. She praised the Lord for her redemption, not knowing that the blessings Ruth’s child brought would bless all of mankind.

We can’t always make sense of what is happening in trying times, and that is okay. Even when we can make things out, we know it’s never the whole story. God has plans for our lives much bigger than we can imagine. All we have to do is walk humbly beside Him and let Him act. We must trust God to redeem us, especially when we can’t see for “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). Even when we don’t know when God’s providence will come, we can still praise Him — not only for who He is, but also for all the things He is yet to do.

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5)

Ask God for a humble heart to be able to walk beside and trust Him. Confess to Him if you have been anxious about the future or untrusting of His goodness.