Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 78, Ruth 1

[Naomi] said to [the women in Bethlehem],  “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

Ruth 1:20-21 ESV

I wish I could tell Naomi not to lose hope, to trust that joy was just around the next bend. 

I once heard God’s sovereignty compared to a stoplight which controls traffic in a construction zone. This light is provided to stop people from a head-on collision with oncoming traffic hidden by the bend in the road. Sometimes a person might be tempted to ignore this light, to just assume that no one is coming and give up waiting for the light to turn. As a loving God who knows the future, He asks us to wait on Him rather than barreling forward because of His great care for us.

The point was then made that God is good to not reveal the future to us for if we knew about the tragedy that lies just around the bend we would spend our lives fretting, rather than living each day in itself.

While I do wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, I can’t help but recognize our human propensity to dwell on the negative, on the coming trial, rather than the coming joy. Several years ago, the Holy Spirit convicted me that when I spend my time fretting about what the future might hold, I end up missing out on having HOPE, trusting in God’s sovereign goodness, waiting expectantly for what hidden joy might lie just around the bend.

Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:24-25) Remember, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) If we could see what was just around the bend, whether tomorrow or a hundred years from now, then we would have no need for HOPE, no need for FAITH. God grows our faith, our trust in Him, by having us wait upon Him.

So, the next time when things look bleak and hopeless and we’re tempted to despair that all hope is lost, let’s remember that God holds the future and that He is worthy of our trust. May we be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” Psalm 28:7

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” Psalm 37:5

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.” Psalm 130:5-7

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