Don’t give up on your faith. God is able to turn your most seemingly hopeless situation into your greatest comeback. Trust him. Nothing is too hard for him. He is good, and he will give you double for your trouble.
DETERMINED FAITH
The story of Ruth is one of the clearest illustrations of hope and redemption in the Bible. We have the benefit of knowing how the story ends and how God worked everything together for good, but Ruth and Naomi had to walk out their journey of restoration by faith.
Naomi and her husband and two sons had left their home in Bethlehem in Israel and moved to Moab because of a severe famine. There, Naomi’s sons married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. But tragedy struck Naomi, and she lost her husband. And ten years later, she lost both her sons. You can imagine her grief. No doubt she began to question her life’s decisions. Did she step out of God’s will by moving to Moab? But God was behind the scenes, ordering her steps in line with his divine purpose.
Having heard that the famine in Israel was over, Naomi decided to return to her homeland. Naomi’s daughters-in-law wanted to go with her, but she told them to return to their families. Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye, but Ruth refused to leave her like Elisha refused to Elijah. There was something different about Naomi. Her faith was real. Her God was real unlike the gods the Moabites worshipped. Ruth was determined to go with Naomi. “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16 NLT).
DIVINE CONNECTIONS
When Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem, “the entire town was excited about their arrival” (Ruth 1:19). Naomi must have had a serious impact on those people. They were all celebrating her return. “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty…” (Ruth 1:20-21).
Little did Naomi know that God had a plan, and when Ruth went to gather leftover grain with the other poor gleaners to provide for her and her mother-in-law, she just happened to come to a field owned by a man named Boaz. Boaz was instantly blown away by her. “Who is that young woman?” he asked his harvesters. Hearing of her faith in the God of Israel, kindness to her mother-in-law, and hard work, he was quickly attracted to her. And he invited her to eat with him and told his men to drop some grain for her to gather on purpose.
God gave Ruth supernatural favor, and when Ruth told Naomi about Boaz, Naomi lit up. “That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers,” she explained. “You might be harassed in other fields, but you’ll be safe with him,” she told Ruth, so Ruth continued to gather grain at Boaz’s field. These women were wise. Some people cannot recognize when God is working through others to bless them. They’ll jump up and move on and hinder God’s provision for their lives.
DESTINY
One day, Naomi finally told Ruth to share the news with Boaz that he was their family redeemer. Ruth listened to her mother-in-law’s advice, and when Boaz found out, he was beyond himself. But there was one problem. There was another family redeemer who was even more closely related, and according to their custom, the other man had the first right to marry Ruth.
That must have sent shock waves through Ruth, but Naomi told her to be patient. “The man won’t rest until he has settled things today” (Ruth 3:18). Do you need God to settle things in your life? He is about to do it sooner than you expect.
Naomi was right. Boaz immediately went to discuss matters with the other family redeemer. The other family redeemer at first wanted to buy the land of Naomi’s dead husband, but when he realized, he had to marry Ruth, he withdrew. So, Boaz married Ruth. Glory to God! Like Joseph, she went from rags to riches in one day. And Ruth became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse who was the father of David, through whom Jesus Christ came.
Isn’t that amazing! Ruth and Boaz’s marriage was directly related to the coming of the Messiah and God’s plan of salvation. Jesus came through their lineage. God had a plan all along, and he made all things work together for good, and he will do the same for you. Trust him. He is ordering your steps according to his perfect purpose.
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Sean Pinder Ministries
P.O. Box 2726
McKinney, TX 75070
God Bless,
Pastors Sean & Aimee Pinder
