The name Naomi means “my delight.” But when bad things happened to her, Naomi wanted to change her name to match her circumstances. After her husband and sons died (Ruth 1:3,5), Naomi concluded, “The hand of the Lord has gone out against me!” (Ruth 1:13). When people greeted her, she said, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara (i.e. Bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20).
Rather than judge her circumstances in light of her identity as a follower of the one true God who had proclaimed unfailing love for His people, Naomi did what most of us tend to do — she judged God in light of her circumstances — and she judged incorrectly.
The hand of the Lord had not gone out against her. In fact, Naomi had a God-given treasure she had not yet discovered. Although Naomi lost her husband and two sons, she was given something totally unexpected — a devoted daughter-in-law and a grandchild who would be in the lineage of the Messiah (Ruth 4:13-22; Matthew 1:5-16).
As Naomi’s life shows us, sometimes the worst thing that happens to us can open the door for the best that God has to give us.
"Loving Father, help us not to judge Your love for us on the basis of whether today brings good news or bad. Help us to remember that Your desire is to use our circumstances to make us more like Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
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