Ruth 1:1–18 ‘Where you go I will go… Your people will be my people and your God my God.’ (v16)
The book of Ruth is a beautiful story of love, loyalty, commitment, and lives redeemed. Naomi and her family leave their home in Judah, during a famine, and go to live in Moab.
Naomi’s husband dies, and her sons marry local girls. There’s further sorrow as both Naomi’s sons pass away too.
Ruth and Orpah are left as widows, and in a patriarchal world, Naomi has no one to support her.
She decides to return home, and while Orpah chooses to go back to her people, Ruth will not leave her mother-in-law.
Ruth tells Naomi that, essentially, whatever the shape of Naomi’s future life, Ruth is going to be with her; she won’t leave her.
Ruth cannot have known where her commitment to Naomi would lead her. In choosing to partner with the older woman, she also chooses to follow her God. Stepping out into the unknown, Ruth begins a whole new journey.
As the story pans out, we read that loyal Ruth meets with a relative of Naomi, who becomes her husband and the father of her child, Obed – who will become the grandfather of the famous King David. Stepping out for God is never easy.
Sometimes He may be asking us to follow Him in what seems to be the most unpromising direction.
He might even ask us to leave behind what seems ‘good’ to us, as He has something even better that we don’t yet see.
At times, we may only see one step ahead, when we’d really like to see the whole road. We need to be able to trust Him that He knows what He is doing, and that His plans for us are good (Jer. 29:11)!
A Prayer To Make:
‘Father, I want to be available to You if and when You move me on to new things.
Help me not to miss opportunities and blessings, but to be bold! Amen.’
An Action To Take:
God often stirs us up with a feeling of restlessness if
He is moving us into something new.
Do you feel something new happening in your life?
Identify and pray into these areas.
Scripture To Consider:
Gen. 12:1–9 & 31:1–55; Matt. 7:13–27; Acts 22:1–21
