Monday, September 16

God At Work, and Ruth At Work

Read Ruth 2: 1-3

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, " Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor." And she said to her, "Go, my daughter." So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.

Well, FINALLY, we are at the beginning of the exciting part of this story. Ruth dutifully traveled with Naomi and has now made her home in the foreign land of Bethlehem. Instead of depending on Naomi or waiting for good fortune to happen, she takes the initiative and goes to work. She is not afraid of admitting her need or working hard to supply it. What a great lesson for us all: no complaining, analyzing, or excuses. Ruth just does the next right thing and finds work that will help alleviate the problem of no food to eat. God provided for her. Ladies, if you are waiting for God to provide, consider this; He may be waiting for you to take the first step to demonstrate just how important your need is. In other words ,like Ruth, we are called to do the next right thing we know to do.

--Warren Wiersbe (P. 34,35): 'A Latin proverb says, 'Providence assists not the idle.' Since Ruth was not the kind of woman who could remain idle, she asked Naomi's permission to glean the fields so they would have food to eat. This was a step of faith on Ruth's part, based on God's commandment in the law (Lev. 19:9-10, 23:22)... To live by faith means to take God at His word and act upon it, for 'faith without works is dead' (James 2:20). ...It is here that Boaz enters the story, a relative of Elimelech who was 'a man of standing' (NIV) in the community. His name means 'in him is strength'. By the providence of God, Ruth gleaned in the portion of the field, but it was by no accident. her steps were guided by the Lord."

Oh boy! We are beginning to see how God is weaving the good part of the story together. OH--- how we ladies love a good love story. Let's pay attention this week to the little details He provides. Can you already see God is not only guiding Ruth to her man, at the same time He is guiding her to the one and only God? I can't wait to see how this unfolds.

For further reading: Job 23:10; Proverbs 16:9;

Isaiah 30:18-21.

Heavenly Father, what can we say but ONLY YOU! We can spin around like little hurricanes to make things happen but only You can connect the dots in such a miraculous way that guides us exactly where we need to be. Continue to use this story in each of our lives to give us hope where there is little. Speak to each one of us in a personal way and guide our steps . Let us surrender our will to you and find the balance of resting in that and taking the initiative to do the next right thing. In Your name we pray, Amen.