Daily Devotionals

February 18th, 2022

Ruth

Check out Ruth’s full story in the Book of Ruth

Read Ruth 1:16 NLT

But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

Read Ruth 2:12 NLT

May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”

If you like your underdog stories mixed with a bit of romance… Ruth is the book for you! 

I would wager that Ruth’s life didn’t turn out the way she thought it would. Ruth had married into an Israelite family from Bethlehem who had moved to Moab to escape a famine.  But when we meet up with Ruth in Scripture we find that she is a widow. Not only is she a widow but all the men in the family have died, leaving only her mother-in-law, her sister-in-law, and herself. Alone in a country that is not her own, Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, decides to return home to Bethlehem. Naomi tries to convince her daughter-in-laws to go home to their families so that they might find new husbands to care for them, but Ruth would have nothing of the sort. Our first focus verse for  today is Ruth’s response to her mother-in-law. 

In those days, a woman’s future without a husband looked bleak. She didn’t have many options. And it would seem, being a foreigner, that Ruth’s options would have been even fewer. It amazes me that with no prospect of a husband or future in sight, Ruth makes a bold and courageous decision to take care of her mother-in-law no matter the cost, placing her future and her trust in God. 

In response to Ruth’s faithfulness and kindness to her mother-in-law, God softens the heart of a man named Boaz, a distant relative, who steps in in a beautiful way to care for both Ruth and Naomi. Ruth and Boaz  would go on to be married and have a son who would become the great grandfather of king David, and part of the family line of Jesus! What a comeback story! 

Ruth trusted God to be in her corner and God blessed her with an amazing role in the story of redemption He was writing. In Ruth’s story we see the beauty of God’s provision as we learn to trust in Him and a glimpse of His desire to redeem those who would come to Him through Jesus in years to come.  What is God calling you to trust Him with right now? How is God asking you to step out in faith so that His power and His love can be displayed in your life? How is God writing your underdog story?

Ruth’s Song (Where You Go I Will Go) Misha Goetz & Marty Goetz #LIVE from #Jerusalem (Ruth 1:16)