Tag: jesus

He also said, “Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town. Ruth 3:15

Boaz had always been kind to Ruth, but on this morning his kindness ripened into something more.  Grace overflowing.  Earlier, she gleaned grain because he allowed her to work in his fields. He made sure the harvesters left an abundance behind, but she still had to stoop, gather, labor, and carry. Provision came through effort. But now, at dawn, everything shifted.  He filled her shawl with barley!  It was unearned, unrequested, and no work was necessary.

This did not signal a future free of work or a life without responsibility. It was not an invitation to idleness or entitlement. It was a revelation: Boaz gave both opportunity and grace, and he paints a vivid picture of Christ. We are His beloved, His cherished bride.  Life with Him is both collaborative work and gifts of grace.  It is both obedience and overflow.

• Jesus has the authority to ensure that my path is strewn with grain for the harvesting.  My calling requires me to bend, gather, and labor for His kingdom. Yet even my labor is watched over, guided, and prepared in advance.  As long as I follow His lead, there will be enough.

• As I work, I will also experience unexpected grace, just like Ruth. He can dress the road before me with hidden abundance, placed there long before I arrive. There will be moments when my shawl is suddenly heavy with blessings I did not work for and for favor I did not seek. These gifts are never predictable.

Jesus does not offer a free ride and advocate spiritual laziness. But He is the God who punctuates my obedience with unanticipated goodness.  Grace whispers, “You are Mine, and I am responsible for you.”

I remember when Your provision came out of nowhere.  My hands trembled and my shawl was full. I still am overcome by the memory.  Thank you.  Amen

Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. Ruth 3:12

Just when Ruth’s future began to look secure, a technicality arose that could threaten everything. There was a relative closer to her than Boaz, and he had priority in the process of redemption. What kind of man was he? She was acquainted now with Boaz and knew that he was a man of honor. Her heart had finally settled but with this new development, the temptation to plummet into uncertainty had to be real. 

Often, what I hope for feels close to coming true. It’s within my reach, and I see the welcome changes about to impact my life.  I pinch myself.  “Will this really be mine?” I wonder. But just as I start to believe it is, complications arise and it slips away. Sometimes, the obstacle can be overcome, but not always.

What does God require of me? The same thing God would have asked of Ruth if another redeemer had stepped forward.  Perhaps he would have been a lesser man than Boz.  We are to wrap our arms around the only One who sustains us through these kinds of disappointments. Just as Ruth’s future was held securely in the sovereignty of God, so is mine. 

Some people cross our paths, make promises, and raise our hopes. We start to breathe more easily. Dreams of a different life are about to be realized. But then, it all fades away. The promise-maker becomes a promise-breaker. It’s hard to pray for those who deal treacherously with our hearts. Forgiveness takes time and is always messy. But we can bring every disappointment to Abba’s heart. His tears mingle with ours. He breathes new life into our hopelessness. And then—there is HIS redemption. Always moving. Always for our good. No one can take away our blessing.     

Redeem the ashes of Your servants. Amen

In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” Ruth 3:8-9

In Ruth’s world, the gesture of redemption was clear and covenantal. When a man was willing to serve as a go’el (a kinsman-redeemer), he would extend the corner of his cloak over the woman as a sign of protection, provision, and belonging. It was not an act of seduction; it was a request wrapped in humility and courage. She sought to preserve her husband’s lineage, to place herself under the shelter of the one appointed by God’s law to protect her. In that culture, family restored family. God’s statutes were not merely rules; they were channels of mercy.

And yet, human nature being what it is, not every man who fulfilled the law did so with joy. Some obeyed, performing the duty but withholding the grace. The law, meant to lead God’s people into abundant life, could become burdensome in the hands of the ungodly. No doubt, many women found themselves technically covered by obligation but not by kindness.

Generations later, her great-grandson, King David, would echo that same spirit when he wrote, “You, Lord, have been my help; in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.” Psalm 63:7

Much later, King David, Ruth’s great-grandson, would write, “You, Lord, have been my help. In the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.” Psalms 63:7 He knew about redemption and the gracious spirit in which God provided it. David’s words teach me that I can go to my Redeemer at any time without fear of rejection. My own poverty does not repel Him. His love, not law, fuels his love for me. The only barrier is my own hesitation to come.

Jesus, gather the loose threads of my life into Your covering. Heal what time has frayed and redeem what fear has hidden.Amen

When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. Ruth 3:7

Have you ever taken a step of obedience so large that halfway through, you suddenly wondered, What am I doing? How did I get here?  Faith can carry us into landscapes that feel foreign, vast, and strangely quiet — the kind of places where our confidence trembles and our questions grow loud.

We’ll never know if Ruth had these thoughts as she took her place at the foot of Boaz’ sleeping place. Surely she had some level of apprehension. Would he scold her? Would he feel embarrassed by her act of intimacy? Would he send her away, thereby severing any hopes of redemption? Would he lose respect for her? Would he withdraw his offer to allow her to gather grain from his fields? Personally, there was a lot at stake. There always is when we answer God’s call.

We’ll never know if Ruth felt that quake of uncertainty as she approached the threshing floor and lay at the feet of Boaz. Scripture is silent about her inner world that night, but we can imagine the tremor of human apprehension beneath her obedience. Would he misunderstand her? Would he feel exposed, or embarrassed?  Would he interpret her gesture as dishonorable? Would he send her away and dismantle any hope of redemption? Would this singular act undo all the fragile favor she had found in his fields?

Ruth carried far more than barley to that place — she carried the weight of two women’s futures. There is always something at stake when we say yes to God.  Obedience has a way of escorting us beyond the edges of our comfort. Henry Blackaby calls this a “God-sized task.”  It is too much for human strength, too steep for natural skill, too intricate for our own networking or ingenuity. No wonder it intimidates us. God-sized assignments press on nerves we do not possess and require capacities we have not yet developed. They compel us to put our radical trust in God.

I once insisted I was unqualified to lead a ministry. I told God I wasn’t leadership material. I felt small under the shadow of others’ opinions. I had no vocabulary for the woman I would become when loved into wholeness. I was certain God had chosen the wrong person. But now I see that He wasn’t looking for the most polished leader.  He was looking for someone willing, someone who would trust His shaping hand more than her own limitations.  And across the decades, Scripture has whispered this assurance.   “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” 1 Thess. 5:24

Father, nothing is hidden from Your sight.  Not the obstacles, not the timing, not the weight of what You’ve asked. Guide me with Your wisdom and anchor my courage in Your faithfulness.
Amen

Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” Ruth 3:3-4

Naomi discerned the pulse of God’s timing in the ordinary. A door had opened in the unseen—one that could alter the course of two destitute lives. Boaz was more than a gracious landowner; he was kin, a redeemer written into their story by the quiet hand of providence. Naomi’s heart, once bitter, flickered with hope again. She knew what must be done.

Her plan for Ruth was as bold as it was tender. Wash. Dress up. Anoint. Go.  This was in no way a manipulative scheme; it was faith clothed in vulnerability. Ruth would approach Boaz in the stillness of night, not to seduce, but to let surrender speak through her stillness. Her boldness was holy as she laid herself at the feet of her redeemer, asking without words to be covered in grace.

That kind of courage is rare.  I’ve been extremely shy with Jesus, even though my needs were profound.  I knew of His redeeming power, admired His mercy, even sang of His love, but stayed safely on the sidelines, avoiding an intimate encounter.  I believed His promises were true, but ‘too good to be true’ for me. I came to Him clothed in reserve, rehearsing polite prayers while hiding my spiritual hunger and desperate needs. I feared exposing my longing, feared that my needs were too much.  But there was a turning point.  I engaged.  Nothing has ever been the same.

I’ve learned that redemption is extended as an invitation.  It’s a duet, not a solo.  It requires my direct involvement.  He stretches out His hand and I respond, heart trembling, with a ‘yes’.  Maybe heaven grows still when I come to Jesus without pretense, ready to be covered by grace.

Jesus, spread Your garment over me.  Continue to exchange my history for Your redemptive storyline.  Ruin for restoration. My night for Your dawn. Amen

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

Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. Ruth 2:1

Did it just so happen that Naomi had a kinsman named Boaz? Not a chance. I don’t believe in random threads. What looks like a coincidence is the quiet choreography of divine providence. Perhaps Boaz had been only a name Naomi once knew, a distant relative, a familiar face in Bethlehem’s stories. Scripture doesn’t tell us. But what we do know is that, from this point on, his presence will become the hinge on which Naomi and Ruth’s story turns. 

God’s purposes often enter our lives disguised as simple moments or passing acquaintances. A conversation we almost didn’t have. A person we almost overlooked. A door that seemed too small to matter. But later, when we trace the fingerprints, we see God’s perfect design. The stranger I met a decade ago changed the life of one of my children.  The kindness I extended to a crabby waitress was the catalyst that moved her toward God.

In my 70’s, I can see this more clearly.  I look back on seasons where someone’s arrival seemed accidental, only to realize that their presence changed the entire trajectory of my story. When I walk prayerfully, every encounter could be a significant divine appointment.  I may never know the outcome of a seemingly mundane conversation until glory.

Naomi could not have arranged Boaz’s actions, nor could Ruth have planned their meeting or the timing of the harvest. But God, who “works all things according to the counsel of His will,” could and did. Divine providence was quietly at work. What seemed like chance was actually the unfolding of God’s covenant faithfulness. Long before Ruth gleaned a single stalk, God had already prepared the path that would lead her to redemption. Through her, the Messiah would be born.

So when I cross paths with someone who awakens something profound in me, I should stop and take notice: the Lord is the Author of divine appointments. 

Lord, I want to be a woman who sees beyond circumstance to sovereignty. May I never mistake providence for coincidence.  Amen