Mapmaker

[logi bear]

Ruth 2:8-12

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, "You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women.
9 "Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn."
10 So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?"
11 And Boaz answered and said to her, "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.
12 "The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge."
NKJV

I remember being in youth group a few years ago, and although my church believes that tithing is not a requirement, there is nothing wrong with tithing either. And the youth leader(s) who were recently married felt led to tithe, that it was something they should do. However, every month as they gave a tenth of their income to the church they would get worried and anxious. "How are we goona pay our bills? We're not gonna have enough money this month, we're not going to make it. We're going to end up in debt!" And yet every month no matter what their needs were, or how much they ended up spending, at the end of the month there was always EXACTLY 10 dollars left over in their bank account. Not much, but they were not in debt, they were not in need, they were not lacking for anything. They were well provided for, and each month no matter HOW MUCH they spent they had exactly 10 dollars left over in their bank account. If that's not God, I don't know what is.
Likewise Ruth and Naomi must have been anxious, they were dirt poor, they were alone with no men to support them, and in those times the women were usually dependent on men for provision. Widows with no family to turn to for support, shelter, and provision faced a very difficult life. Yet God had a plan to provide for them, and when she found favor in the eyes of Boaz, she asked why? He said that he had heard all she had done on behalf of Naomi, and how she had left her home country to come and be with a people she did not know. He said "The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." God made sure that Boaz knew what Ruth had done, so that she would find favor in his eyes, so that he would allow her to be able to provide for herself and Naomi, so that eventually Ruth would even find herself with a husband and children, and so that Naomi would even be blessed by Ruth and by grandchildren!

Ruth 4:13-14

13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.
14 Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!
15 "And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him."
16 then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him.
17 Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi." And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
NKJV

God was faithful to take care of them, He had a plan to protect and bless them in spite of the seemly impossible situation they were in. God had already drawn out a map for their lives, He had already charted a course for them. Although it must have seemed to them like their lives were crashing down, like they were well off the beaten path they had dreamed of walking on, little did they know they were right on course. Have faith that no matter what situation you find yourself in, God has a plan for you!