We all have things we typically repeat, sayings our friends know us for. I have one friend who often says, “Brenda, God’s favor is protection!” and another who says, “Brenda, God is a God of process!” Both thoughts came to mind recently while I read Ruth, and I could clearly see both threads running through.
Let’s pull on them, shall we?
Bored Shaun The Sheep GIF by Aardman Animations
God’s Favor is Protection
For you, Lord, bless the righteous one; you surround him with favor like a shield.
– Psalm 5:12 CSB
In Ruth 2, after they arrived in Bethlehem, Ruth asked Naomi for permission to go to the fields and gather grain. If you recall, the Israelites were required to leave the edges of the field for the poor and the foreigners to gather (Leviticus 23:22).While Ruth gathered grain, Boaz arrived and asked his servant, “Whose young woman is this?” (Ruth 2:5). He discovered she was the Moabite woman who had returned from Moab with Naomi. Impressed by her sacrifice and loyalty to Naomi, Boaz invited her to gather grain only in his fields, staying close to his female servants. He told Ruth,
“Listen, my daughter. Don’t go and gather grain in another field, and don’t leave this one, but stay here close to my female servants. See which field they are harvesting, and follow them. Haven’t I ordered the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”
– Ruth 2:8-9 CSB
The word touch in verse nine is the Hebrew root word “nâgaʻ,” which means, “to touch violently, strike or afflict.”
He also instructed his servants,
“Let her even gather grain among the bundles, and don’t humiliate her. Pull out some stalks from the bundles for her and leave them for her to gather. Don’t rebuke her.”
– Ruth 2:15-16 CSB
From the first day Ruth arrived in Boaz’s field, she found favor. He specifically commanded his servants not to do her any harm and made sure she had plenty of grain for her and Naomi.
God’s favor protected her and provided for her.
God is a God of Process
“…since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”
– 1 Corinthians 14:33 CSB
Moving on in Ruth’s story, she tells Naomi whose field she gleaned in, and Naomi takes note that Boaz is one of their family redeemers. We’re not sure exactly how much time passed between the end of chapter two and the beginning of chapter three, but we know Ruth stayed close to Boaz’s female servants until the barley and wheat harvest was complete (Ruth 2:23).
Sometime later, Naomi decided she needed to find a husband for Ruth. She instructed her to go to the threshing floor and lie down at Boaz’s feet in her best clothes and perfume. Ruth did as told, which led to Boaz redeeming Elimelech’s property and marrying Ruth.
As I finished reading chapters three and four, I saw the process:
Ruth was faithful to her mother-in-law by staying close to Boaz’s female servants and gleaning the fields for their daily sustenance.
Naomi gave Ruth a set of instructions, a process to follow to appeal to Boaz to be their kinsman redeemer.
Boaz found the kinsman-redeemer who was ahead of him and presented the issue to him.
Boaz purchased all the land from Naomi and gained Ruth as his wife, with the city elders as witnesses, after the first kinsman-redeemer declined taking Ruth as his wife.
Ruth, Naomi and Boaz all followed God’s process, which led to a favorable result for all of them.
What does God’s favor as protection look like for us?
Ruth didn’t seek favor. Her reputation preceded her favorably, which I’d argue led to Boaz extending provision and protective favor. This example was a very literal one, but favor as protection could also look like God nudging you to drive rather than fly (this recently happened to my friend). Or it could look like closing the door to an opportunity that may have looked good to you. However it looks, God’s favor protects us from the seen and unseen. I can’t wait to get to heaven and see how many times His favor protected me in ways I was not aware of.
How do we yield to His process in our lives?
Now let’s tackle process. To be honest, I don’t always like process. I’m currently in a season I would prefer for things to just happen. But I clearly see how God used process in Ruth’s story, and I know it’s in my best interest to yield to what He’s doing in me. Yielding to His process looks like doing what He’s put in front of you even when it doesn’t look appealing or seems like the long way around. Ruth’s faithfulness in the process led to marriage and a child in the lineage of Jesus.
Friend, my prayer for us is that God’s favor surround us like a shield and that we yield to God’s process. After all, His ways and thoughts are well above ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Until next week …
Miracles + Blessings!
Brenda
P.S. Did a friend send this email to you? (what an awesome friend 🙌🏿)
If you have bought Memorial Stones, what do you think so far? I’d love it if you could leave me an honest review on Amazon! Reviews are incredibly helpful in getting the word out and getting the devotional into the hands of those it will bless.
Here are a few quick review tips:
It doesn’t have to be long.
It doesn’t have to be 5 stars.
You don’t have to finish the book to leave an honest thought — you could just read one Memorial Stone.
Memorial Stones: A Guided Journal for Foundational Miracles in Your Life
Memorial Stones takes the reader on a journey of documenting foundational miracles. These mile markers remind us of God’s unwavering faithfulness when the journey gets tough. Document your memorial stones and write your story with God today!
Begin a journey of faith and self-discovery through God’s redemption. Grab Memorial Stones, your guided devotional journal, and start reflecting on His faithfulness today!
0 Comments