“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 favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 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 2:2-3
In the Old Testament, farmers were commanded not to harvest their fields completely. They were told to always leave some behind so the poor could come and take the remaining grains for themselves. This is also a great representation of how farmers can be selfless.
These verses also displayed Ruth’s hard-working character. She didn’t just sit back at home and pray for food. On her initiative, she went out to glean in the fields to provide for herself and Naomi.
Sometimes, we just pray and wait for good things to happen. We wait for blessings, hoping they’re readily available anytime and anywhere. We wait for our prayers to do all the work, neglecting the fact that we must do our part too.
For God to completely entrust us with something worthy, we must be responsible enough in His eyes. It means if we want something, God must be willing to trust us with it. Often, the Lord wants to see first just how badly we need or want something before He provides. Yes, God will provide if it’s according to His will, but it is up to us to work for it. He wants to see that we can be good stewards of His blessings.
To sum it up, this verse demonstrates how God guided Ruth to come to the field. This field belonged to Boaz, the one she married later on in her life. This just shows how God works in ways we could not imagine, how a simple act of initiative could lead to an extraordinary life that honors God.
Sometimes, we may not understand His supernatural hand working in our lives, but it is always guaranteed to be worthwhile. If Ruth had stayed home and waited for blessings, she would have missed God’s true blessings for her. You see, the Christian life is not to just sit around and let God do His work. You are also called to have the initiative and see how God His work mightily.
