“Under His Wings”

“The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Ruth 2:12 (ESV)

Chapter one showed us that God is a God who makes a way for us when there is no way on our own. God takes an impossible situation, like Naomi’s plight of having no one to provide for her, and makes it possible not only for her to survive but to receive beautiful blessings from His hands.

Chapter 2 continues the story of Naomi's return to her deceased husband’s hometown, Bethlehem. We see that when greeted by her extended family and friends, Naomi was still distraught over the loss of her husband and sons. As a matter of fact, she believed that God had abandoned her, as we read in Chapter 1:20, “She said to them, 'Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”

I bet many of us have felt that way at times in our lives, when everything seems to be going wrong, everything that we’ve tried seems to fail, and we are not making progress. Friend, if that’s you today, remember that what seems impossible for you is not impossible for God. Turn your attention away from what’s wrong and toward God’s Word. Trust in His ability, not your ability, to “fix” the problem. Give God time to work out His solution.

Now we find that Naomi, who must be an older woman, cannot go to the fields and gather food for herself. Her daughter-in-law Ruth will glean with the other women of Bethlehem to gather enough food for her and Naomi. Israel had a Law that property owners must leave the corners of their harvest fields for the poor to glean, so they too could have enough food to eat. It was this Law that Naomi used to have Ruth go into a very rich man’s field to gather food for them both. This very rich man was a relative of Naomi’s deceased husband; his name was Boaz. It appears that Boaz was a well-respected businessman in the region and was held in high regard by the town’s leadership. He had a reputation for being an honorable and God-fearing man.

As we continue reading the story, it seems like a lot of coincidences are happening. Ruth just happened to go to a field owned by a relative. For no apparent reason, she found favor with him, and he instructed his servants to keep a lookout for Ruth and ensure she was able to glean the best parts of the field. He also provided her with physical protection. That’s a lot of things just falling into place, I mean, what are the odds of all of that happening for a foreign woman? But what Ruth and Naomi didn’t realize was that God was not through with them yet.

You see, God had been working behind the scenes for many years. Boaz was a wealthy landowner, who do you think allowed him to be wealthy? Boaz just didn’t wake up one day with plenty of land and a harvest that made him rich. God had provided deliverance to the land of Judah from the famine they had experienced many years ago.

Did that happen on its own? How about Naomi and Ruth’s fifty-mile-plus journey from Moab to Bethlehem on foot, crossing very barren land. How do you think they were able to make that multiple-day journey by themselves? Who provided for them, who kept two women traveling alone safe? I think you can see God’s hand of providence in their lives. Can’t you see God’s “wings of refuge” in their lives? That same God who was working behind the scenes for Naomi and Ruth is also working behind the scenes for you. I’m not sure that Naomi and Ruth felt God was with them, but He was. God does not abandon His chosen. God puts plans in place many times decades before we ever notice His hand at work in our lives.

As we progress through this story of Naomi and Ruth, we can look back and see how God’s providence was working in our lives many times. It takes looking back over the years, and possibly decades, to see that God was there all along.

If you are not a follower of Jesus, if you have never received the free gift of eternal life that God offers, you probably will not be able to see God working in your life. You will probably just think all those things that are happening are just coincidences; you won’t see that God is working in your life, but He is. It’s God who is speaking to your heart, calling you to His Son. It is God who has allowed you to meet that person who shared the good news of salvation with you. It is God who directed you to today’s devotional, telling you to stop doubting that God cares and to be persuaded that He is calling you to Himself. He wants you to be saved. He gave His son so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.  Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him they might be saved.

Just like God was working in Naomi and Ruth’s lives, He’s working in yours as well. Trust in the One who has proved His love for you, trust in Jesus’ finished work, and receive eternal life.

Find eternal life “Under His Wings” of protection, God is calling you, won’t you listen?

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"