One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Ruth 3:1-2

Grief had hollowed out Naomi’s heart, yet in this tender moment, she felt a flicker of resurrection. The woman who once declared herself Mara (which means bitter) imagined the possibility of joy. Hope dared to breathe again. She stepped out of lament and into intercession, guiding Ruth toward a kinsman redeemer who mirrored the kindness of God Himself. The threshing floor wouldn’t just separate grain from chaff that night.  It would separate despair from destiny.

Boaz was more than just a good man; he was a foreshadowing of our ultimate Redeemer who gathers the foreigner, the widow, and the outcast beneath His covering. Ruth, the outsider, would soon find herself woven into the lineage of the Messiah. God was already writing eternity into her story.

How often, I wonder, is divine provision hiding in plain sight? We pray for open doors, unaware that God’s answer may already be standing in our field, disguised as something familiar. We overlook the very answer God has planted in our surroundings.

When I moved to Georgia, a much older prayer partner told me that Athens (not Atlanta) would hold everything I needed for our family and for Daughters of Promise. I smiled politely but couldn’t imagine that such a small place could deliver such a promise. I was leaving the big city of Cincinnati.  But here’s how it unfolded.  Yes, Athens may be smaller, but each time I have needed anything and consider driving to Atlanta to find it, the answer turns up in Athens. In many cases, right around the corner from my home/office.

What are you desperately seeking today? Perhaps the dilemma will be solved by narrowing your search to within your four walls. Or, down the street. In your office building. Within the church ranks. In your small town. God is never careless with geography. There is more mileage in each affiliation than we ever thought possible. Don’t overlook the obvious.  Look again. What seems ordinary may, in fact, be the threshing floor of your next redemption.

Lord, I confess how often I’ve accused You of withholding. Open my eyes to recognize Your provision. Teach me to trust what You have waiting for me. Amen