My Redeemer Lives, Friend Of God, It’s Your Season, Great I Am, Way Maker, Permanente, Blessed Be Your Name

Can you recall a season in your life when you felt empty or uncertain? Briefly share what was happening at that time and how you responded.

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. 9 Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. 12 May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”

The story of Ruth begins in a time of famine, uncertainty, and spiritual chaos. Yet in the midst of ordinary people facing ordinary struggles, God was quietly at work.

Ruth’s story reminds us that God’s favor is not always expressed through comfort, luxury, or an easy life. Rather, God’s favor means that He sees us, cares for us, and provides for us according to His purpose.

Face God in Your Emptiness

Naomi knew what it meant to experience loss. Because of a famine, she and her family left Bethlehem and moved to Moab. There, Naomi’s husband died. Her two sons eventually married, but after about ten years, both of them also died. Naomi was left without her husband and her children (Ruth 1:1–5).

Imagine the weight of her grief. She had experienced famine, migration, widowhood, and the loss of both her sons. Yet Naomi did not remain in Moab. When she heard that God had provided food for His people, she arose and returned to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:6). Her emptiness could have driven her further away from God, but instead, she turned back. When Naomi eventually arrived home, however, her pain remained. She asked to be called Mara, meaning “bitter”, because she believed that she had left full but returned empty (Ruth 1:20–21). Her feelings were real, but her story was not over.

We must be careful not to judge what God is doing based only on the chapter of life we are currently experiencing. Naomi saw only her emptiness, but God was already at work. Chapter one was not the end of her story. Our emptiness and pain are not reasons to run from God. They are reasons to run to Him. Naomi returned to God, and Ruth, who had come from Moab, chose to declare, “Your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16). In their pain and uncertainty, both women turned toward God.

When disappointment comes, face God in your emptiness. Even when you cannot see Him working, trust that He is not absent.

Follow God in Faithfulness

Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. Ruth could have remained passive, waiting for her circumstances to change. Instead, she faithfully did what was in front of her.

She went to the fields to glean grain, providing for herself and Naomi (Ruth 2:1–3). In what appeared to be an ordinary act of faithfulness, God was already directing her steps. Ruth’s character was evident in the way she lived. She was committed to Naomi and to the God she had chosen to follow. She demonstrated courage, diligence, humility, integrity, gratitude, and faithfulness.

Her ordinary faithfulness led her to the field of Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s late husband. Boaz recognized Ruth’s devotion and prayed that God would reward her because she had come to seek refuge under His wings (Ruth 2:12).

Boaz then showed her extraordinary kindness. He ensured that she could glean safely and abundantly, and Ruth brought what she had gathered home to Naomi. Even in receiving this provision, Ruth continued thinking of someone else. Her faithfulness was displayed not through dramatic achievements but through the ordinary responsibilities before her.

This is an important reminder for us. We often want God to do something extraordinary while overlooking the ordinary things He has already placed in our hands. But faithfulness begins there.

Do the ordinary things God has called you to do. Follow Him in your relationships, responsibilities, work, ministry, and daily choices. You may not yet see how God is orchestrating the bigger picture, but He is able to use ordinary faithfulness for His extraordinary purposes.

Fix Your Hope in God, Our Redeemer

Through Boaz, Naomi began to recognize God’s provision. He was more than simply a relative; he was a potential kinsman-redeemer: someone who could act on behalf of a family member in need.

Ruth eventually approached Boaz and courageously asked him to act as her redeemer. Boaz recognized her integrity and promised to do what was right, though another relative had the first right of redemption (Ruth 3).

Ruth had acted in faith. Now she had to wait. This is where faith becomes especially difficult. When God tells us to act, we must act in faith. But when we have done what He has asked and the outcome is beyond our control, we must also learn to wait in faith.

Boaz faithfully followed the proper process. When the closer relative chose not to redeem Ruth and Naomi’s property, Boaz stepped forward. He redeemed what had been lost and took Ruth as his wife (Ruth 4:1–10). Ruth had been faithful in the ordinary. God accomplished the extraordinary.

Ruth and Boaz became the parents of Obed, the grandfather of King David. But God’s plan extended even further. Ruth, a Moabite woman who had once been outside the people of Israel, became part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5–16). Her story points us to an even greater Redeemer.

Boaz redeemed Ruth and Naomi, but Jesus Christ redeems us from sin. Ephesians 1:7 reminds us that in Christ we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of His grace.

Perhaps you are facing a chapter of emptiness today. Do your part in faith, trusting God to do what only He can do. The chapter you are living today is not necessarily the end of your story. And whatever happens, we have a Redeemer in Jesus Christ.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you trust God and remain faithful even in seasons of emptiness or uncertainty.

Care for someone who may be going through a difficult time by offering encouragement, kindness, or practical help, just as Boaz showed kindness to Ruth.

As you walk alongside them, share the hope we have in Jesus, our Redeemer, who sees us, cares for us, and is able to work through even he ordinary and difficult seasons of life.

• Worship God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do in our lives.

• Upright and moral governance of public servants; repentance and salvation for government leaders and citizens for a Christ-centered Philippines.

• For legislators to promote and support bills and laws aligned with God’s Word.

• Pray for persecuted Christians in Sudan and Nigeria) — many have been beheaded and murdered; earnestly seek God’s intervention to stop the bloodshed. Pray for freedom from oppression, that God’s word and His people bring them comfort and hope.

• Continue to pray for Israel’s war with terrorists to end according to God’s purpose and for His glory. For Jewish people worldwide who are experiencing a surge of antisemitism. May this lead them to the Messiah, Jesus as they turn to God for help and comfort.

• For nations in turmoil (e.g., Ukraine, Middle Eastern countries, etc.) to experience true freedom in Christ and become centers for massive spiritual revivals in their regions. For new Iranian leadership to rise up that will be for the people of Iran, will promote freedom of worship that the Iranian believers will be able to reach out to the rest of their countrymen and the people of the Middle East.

• Pray for the people of Venezuela devastated by two strong 7+ magnitude back-to-back earthquakes. Pray for the rescue of those trapped under collapsed buildings; for strength and protection for the rescue workers; for relief goods and medical services for thousands of affected families. For the church to be the powerful hands of hope and healing that will lead people to Jesus.

• That CCF Members would honor and love God and make disciples.

• For elders, pastors, dleaders, and families to become holy, humble, harmonious, happy, and heart-working.

• Ministries and churches expand worldwide.

• Worship and Training Center

• Prayer Mountain

• Deeper intimate relationship with God.

• Righteous living.

• Salvation of family and friends.

12 May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”