Ruth 2:17-18
Today’s reading, just two verses might seem like small details, but press in, you do not want to miss this “more than imagined” moment.
“So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.” Ruth 2:17-18
Have you ever been in desperate need? Walk with me down Christina Sue Memory Lane (aka my past) for a moment to a time when I found myself in seemingly unchartered territory. Trying to raise teenagers and care for my 95 year old grandmother with macular degeneration, a storm blew in and life as I knew it would look and feel like a puddle of mud. Left with $7, a failing auto repair business, and no money coming in to make payroll, feed the kids or pay the mortgage, I was broken-hearted, hurt, rejected, lugging around an emotional weight and allowing fear to overtake me. I wasn’t sure what to do next. One morning after dropping the kids off at school, my ears picked up on the lyrics of a new song that began playing on the radio. "I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord. And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on You Lord. Though it is painful, but patiently I will wait. And I will move ahead bold and confident. Taking every step in obedience. While I'm waiting I will serve You. While I'm waiting I will worship. While I'm waiting I will not faint. I'll be running the race even while I wait. I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord.”
I knew that I needed to live out those words that John Waller was singing! Psalm 37:5 came to my mind; to commit all my ways to the Lord. Friends, I’m not going to lie, things were not easy. I worked hard, I trusted God, I committed. And yep, I made a few regrettable mistakes along the way, but I forged ahead and chose to serve and worship God. And I’m excited to say, that 6000 days later- I’ve experienced more than imagined, abundantly more. God’s mercy, grace, love and providence were slathered over my story, His Story!
Ruth's desperate need turned into unexpected abundance. Commitment creates opportunity. To know the story of Ruth is to know the quiet behind-the-scenes providence of God. I imagine that Ruth had a lot of challenging days, hard days. But Ruth’s day of hard work and initiative was her worship and her bridge to opportunity. What a surprisingly abundant harvest, demonstrating God's provision and Boaz’s grace, allowing her to share both the grain and leftovers. Ruth and Naomi’s lives make a shift from desperate poverty and dependence on charity to having a surplus, hinting at the future hope and abundance they would experience.
“So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.” Ruth 2:17-18
Have you ever been in desperate need? Walk with me down Christina Sue Memory Lane (aka my past) for a moment to a time when I found myself in seemingly unchartered territory. Trying to raise teenagers and care for my 95 year old grandmother with macular degeneration, a storm blew in and life as I knew it would look and feel like a puddle of mud. Left with $7, a failing auto repair business, and no money coming in to make payroll, feed the kids or pay the mortgage, I was broken-hearted, hurt, rejected, lugging around an emotional weight and allowing fear to overtake me. I wasn’t sure what to do next. One morning after dropping the kids off at school, my ears picked up on the lyrics of a new song that began playing on the radio. "I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord. And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on You Lord. Though it is painful, but patiently I will wait. And I will move ahead bold and confident. Taking every step in obedience. While I'm waiting I will serve You. While I'm waiting I will worship. While I'm waiting I will not faint. I'll be running the race even while I wait. I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord.”
I knew that I needed to live out those words that John Waller was singing! Psalm 37:5 came to my mind; to commit all my ways to the Lord. Friends, I’m not going to lie, things were not easy. I worked hard, I trusted God, I committed. And yep, I made a few regrettable mistakes along the way, but I forged ahead and chose to serve and worship God. And I’m excited to say, that 6000 days later- I’ve experienced more than imagined, abundantly more. God’s mercy, grace, love and providence were slathered over my story, His Story!
Ruth's desperate need turned into unexpected abundance. Commitment creates opportunity. To know the story of Ruth is to know the quiet behind-the-scenes providence of God. I imagine that Ruth had a lot of challenging days, hard days. But Ruth’s day of hard work and initiative was her worship and her bridge to opportunity. What a surprisingly abundant harvest, demonstrating God's provision and Boaz’s grace, allowing her to share both the grain and leftovers. Ruth and Naomi’s lives make a shift from desperate poverty and dependence on charity to having a surplus, hinting at the future hope and abundance they would experience.
Posted in Devotional