Ruth chapter 8 verses 2-3 (NIV)
And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favour. ”Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.
Ruth chapter 8 verses 11 – 12
Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband —how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
In these verses from the story of Ruth, I am reminded of two things. Firstly. We are told, quite casually almost, that “as it turned out” Ruth was working in a field belonging to Boaz. But this was no co-incidence, rather a God-incidence. Ruth was where God wanted her to be. In His hands we will find such God-incidences in our own lives so that we are in the place and circumstances that God intends for us.
Secondly, our testimony has an impact. This was the first time Boaz and Ruth had met in person, and he had heard all about her. What he had heard affected what actions he then took. We should always remember that our testimony can influence others, so in a sense we are never intended to be “off-duty”. Being an ambassador of Jesus is intended to be 24/7.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for these reminders today. Ruth’s life had a wide-reaching impact. We may not know how far-reaching an impact we may have but I pray that it is one that brings You Glory. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.