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who had no hope in her life now regains a family . As the kinsman Redeemer to Ruth and Naomi, through the line of Boaz comes Obed, making Ruth a part of the eventual family line of David, the King of Israel .
There is a reason why at the birth of Obed, the women living there ex- claimed, “Naomi has a son” (Ruth 4:17) . The God who made living fountains flow on dry ground, is the God who not only restored a family to Naomi but also raised her to be a part of the lineage of Jesus, the Messiah .
The pain, grief and loss experienced by Naomi is our story too . There’s no denying the fact that we all have suf- fered losses in different forms . These blows of destiny have hit us like storms where all that is left is the pain and loss of hope . They blur our vision of a new tomorrow . And we find ourselves un- able to recognize a strength which we thought was ours .
That strength is our acknowledge- ment that we live under the sovereign presence of God . And that sovereign God has a plan for each of our lives . So even though it looks like we will be completely broken, there is always an encouragement, that has the ability to bring about an entirely new story, one of hope and grace . No tragedy could determine the future that is ahead of us . No storm is so powerful that could make us lose all we have . Tragedies can be at the beginning of our story but it surely is not the end of it .
The presence of Boaz in Naomi’s life was that seed-like something upon which Naomi built an empire of fruit- fulness . Even in our own lives, though
you think you are on the edge of dis- appearing into nothingness, yet in Christ, I encourage you to dig a little deeper and recall that one relation- ship you forgot, that one talent you buried deep inside your heart, that one idea or dream you rejected because it was small, that one ray of hope and take that as the foundation and build again . Naomi’s faith was revitalised . God honored her and provided her a secure place to live gloriously through her kinsman Redeemer .
We are directed to turn to Jesus to take refuge in him from all our strug- gles and battles . But we should also remind ourselves that being under the refuge of God is not without purpose . Being a refugee in God and living un- der His presence is our esteemed po- sition . Building again under the pres- ence of God is the fulfillment of the purpose for which we are anointed . It depends on us what are we going to do while we take refuge in the sovereignty of the LORD .
God will never position you in a place for which he hasn’t anointed you . God will never allow a storm to hit you which is not in His control . He will never leave you in a tragedy where he doesn’t provide . It is your time to build again, to rise out of the ashes of your grief and trust your Creator for what he has created for you and you alone .
It is my prayer that may you under- stand this truth of your life, don’t let your storms decide your response in the AFTERMATH . Surrender yourself with all your potential to the One who took hold of you for a glorious purpose . n
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