“So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech”
I love this verse. Ruth just so happened to come to this field. But how? Scripture tells us, and it’s a winding journey. There was a famine in Naomi’s hometown and country. She and her husband left with their family for a new country. While there, Naomi’s boys married. Then Naomi’s husband and boys died. Only the three women remained. Naomi decided to go home, told her daughters-in-law to stay in their country, and started the journey. One stayed behind, and the other, Ruth, committed to stay with Naomi. Now two poor women—one being a foreigner—came to a town with hopes for a brighter future. Thankfully, Israel’s law let poor people gather grain from the fields, so the young Ruth headed to the field to gather food for the day. It turns out she chose the field of her future husband.
What a story! In the sermon this last Sunday, one of the applications I presented involved something akin to this Bible story from the book of Ruth. I said, “Everyone has a story.” What’s so amazing is that if you confess Jesus Christ as savior, you have a story like Ruth. You have a story of salvation! You have a whole life of it just happened to turn out this way that points directly to the God of the universe working out His will in your life. Share it!
Rebekah and I have made it a tradition to laugh at the crazy shenanigans we find ourselves in on a daily basis. We end the sharing of such stories with these words, “You just can’t make this stuff up!” What I’ve come to realize is that our Christian testimony, or to put it another way, our eye witness account of God working in our lives, or to put it another way, our just so happened moments in life all add up into opportunities to share God’s workings and wonders.
God’s working in His people’s lives looks very ordinary most of the time. Remember those ordinary moments. Look back and recall them. You never know when you might happen into a field where God will change your life forever. Wonderful stories unfold in the lives of every one of God’s people. To never share those stories is a great tragedy. Share your story with those around you, and wait expectantly to see how God works in the lives of his saints!
What’s happening in your life? I’d love to hear from you. Blessings to each of you,
Jeremiah