One of the most captivating stories in the Bible is found in the book of Ruth. Not only are the actual words and language beautiful, but the heart of Christ revealed in Boaz is striking. But I don’t want to rush ahead to the good part. That’s what I normally do, which has caused me to miss much of the richness of this book.
I’ve read Ruth many times over my years, but there is something about it in this season of my life that has captured my heart and my mind. I find myself thinking about it all throughout my ordinary day.
The story takes place “in the days when judges ruled.” And the people were “doing what was right in their own eyes.” I imagine some similarity between then and our current days. Overwhelmingly, people live following their feelings and not listening to God. As a believer, I hope I will stand strong on God’s Word and stay connected to Him in a world that is far, far away from following after the one true God. I want to only follow His voice, but this world is quite noisy and broken. Sometimes I have a fleeting thought that maybe God has given up on all of us— I mean, who could blame Him? So maybe this ordinary family of dad and mom and their two sons, simply made a decision to go where food was. This decision may have been made out of panic and fear that God had forgotten about them, but it could have been made out of sheer logic. Bethlehem, which ironically means “House of Bread,” was experiencing a famine. So Elimelech did what I imagine he thought was best for his family and went to where they could eat. Now I am no scholar and I don’t know all the theological reasons of if he should have stayed, but they went to Moab. And as Alistair Begg says, “Our foolishness cannot set aside God’s providence.” Whew.
Elimelech dies while they’re living in Moab. Now, Naomi is in a foreign land with her two boys and becomes a widow. So heartbreaking, but at least she has her boys!
Life goes on in a million ordinary ways. The boys meet girls, they fall in love, they get married, and they continue on in their ordinary lives.
Until one day the two sons also die. This leaves Ruth and Orpah as young widows. More heartbreak! And Naomi must feel more alone than ever.
Heartbreaking circumstances happen quickly in these first few verses of Ruth. There is a move, a death of a husband, loneliness and fear. Eventually, there were two weddings and many years of life lived. Then, the deaths of two sons and grief that likely can’t be put into words. Yet, these are not unheard of circumstances. There is nothing new under the sun, after all. Decisions had to be made. Losses didn’t make sense. Eventually we see some relationships strengthen and others fall apart. Bitterness makes itself at home in a heart. Common to all man. It’s what most of us have going on. Ordinary life. Heavy hurt. Putting one foot in front of the other even still.
These three ladies were faced with unimaginable loss and likely hopelessness and loneliness. Did God see them? Was He moving on their behalf? What would their lives look like going forward? How could God redeem such loss?
Alistair Begg shares in GOD OF THE ORDINARY, “When God is at work, even something that seems hopeless may be the doorway to fresh starts and new opportunities.” So no matter what life looks like for you in this season, keep your eyes open to His miraculous ways. Ask God to stir up within you joyful expectation even for that circumstance that seems way past hope. He is always, always working.
Personally and on a much simpler scale, we had a situation we were dealing with that tempted me to worry and succumb to discouragement. Ruby is moving to Tennessee for a ten week internship very soon. We shopped apartments that we would have to rent furniture for and those would be over $4,000 a month. And we had to commit to four months. Well, we didn’t like anything about that prospect. So I began searching Airbnb and reaching out to female owners. I didn’t at all feel comfortable with Ruby living near some random man, so any option with a male owner got marked off the list. I found a lady with two daughters Ruby’s age that had a separate apartment over her garage and a ten minute drive to work. We communicated and it all seemed to be going in a good direction. She called Josh and spoke with him about it as well. But she hadn’t sent a lease even after I reached out. I was getting nervous, but she seemed like everything was going to be fine. Until Ruby saw on instagram that she had sold her home!! I reached out to her and sure enough, she was moving, “but the man who bought my home is accepting all of my Airbnb commitments.” Ummm, no. That won’t work for us. So it felt a bit like scrambling, but I was also praying God would help us. I had just read and studied this part of Ruth and felt certain God noticed us and was fully aware of what we needed. After some help from a friend and a few texts and phone calls, we were able to sign a lease for a pool house—so yes, Ruby gets access to a pool—owned by a sweet couple who are a grandma and grandpa. It’s twenty minutes from her office and seems perfect. I thanked God for His provision and protection. I thanked Him for noticing our dire situation and for helping me not panic, but to pray. He is faithful. We are grateful.
He notices you. Do you notice Him working in your life?
Take a listen to my current favorite song:
