So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. He was intimate with her, the LORD let her become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi, “May the LORD be blessed, who today hasn’t left you without a redeemer. May his name be proclaimed in Israel. He will restore your life and sustain you in your old age. Your daughter-in-law who loves you has given birth to him. She’s better for you than seven sons.” Naomi took the child and held him to her breast, and she became his guardian. The neighborhood women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They called his name Obed. He became Jesse’s father and David’s grandfather. –Ruth 4
I absolutely love the story of Ruth. Maybe it’s because I identify with her so much. She’s a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, yet God chose to place her son in the lineage of Jesus Christ. When Obed was born all the death, loneliness, and heartache for Ruth and Naomi was validated, the purpose for their pain revealed. God passed the torch of Abraham’s promise to Ruth. God did all this through a baby… again.
God often spoke to His faithful by giving them a child. Go back into Genesis and read the stories of Sarah, Rebekah and Leah. He is the God who opens wombs (Gen. 29:31). In fact, God through scripture says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3).
I wonder if we still see children the same way. Do we think of them as a reward from a heavenly Father? I also wonder if when we choose convenience over children if our Creator isn’t a little bit sad. This isn’t a post about birth control or pro-big families. This is just a question, have we lost God’s heart for children?
I confirmed last night that my own suspicions were true. God chose to open my womb and place life within me for a sixth time. I don’t know what my future holds, but today my face falls at the feet of the God of our universe who has allowed me, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, to build a heritage for Him.
