“So, Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning

Luke 1:22

The end of an era is the beginning of a new life. Though worn out by the misfortune in Moab, God had a new life for Naomi. God would renew her life in the unexpected daughter from the land of her troubles.

Harvest time is a joyful occasion. It brings the reward for the farmer’s labor. After all the hard toil and stressful times, the sacrifices and self-denial of pleasure, the prize stands before the farmer, waiting for the sickle to bring down for the ingathering.

But did Naomi know this? What had she planted to harvest at this festive occasion?

Misfortune may be an investment. We never know this until the maturity date. The hard times, failures, heartbreaks, and emotional struggles of our lives are rich investments if we keep our focus and heart pure before the Lord.

Naomi had sowed her pain of family tragedy. Her husband and two sons had been her wealth – all the riches she had in this world. Naomi buried them in the soil of Moab. But now she is back to Judah, the land of praise. And it is the beginning of harvest—the time of the Lord’s visitation. It is the land of grace and abundance in the Lord.

That is the story of our lives.

God takes us to hard places to work some things out of our lives. They are things that have taken His place in our lives. He wants all our hearts for Himself. But several things usurp His position and occupy His seat in our hearts. Our disobedience and selfish ambition take us to Moab to empty us. The experience of Moab is never remarkable nor pretty. But it’s sowing time for us. It’s your planting season—a spiritual journey into the wilderness. You may not know it, but God is taking you through the ravages of the wild to empty you of everything that has taken His place in your life. He has graves in the wilderness of Moab for them. You must bury them before He brings you back to the harvest season in Bethlehem of Judah. 

There are shocks, terrible upheavals, tears, sorry, heartbreak after heartbreak, loneliness, depression, complete abandonment, and loss of hope to experience in the wilderness of Moab.

But God!

As He takes you through the painful experiences of sowing your pain and suffering, He prepares you for the journey back for the harvest. God puts you in another enterprise—the investment of love and kindness in the most unlikely people.

Naomi invested in her two daughters-in-law, and one of them, Ruth, determines to share her life with her (Ruth 1:16-17). They both arrive in Bethlehem, and it is the beginning of the barley harvest—a time for her to reap what she had sowed in Ruth, the Moabite.

The season of your life now may be painful. Take heart, for the Lord is up to something in your life. Just stay focused on Jesus and keep your eyes on the reward He holds for you, here and in eternity. Amen!