Jesus taught:
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Matthew 7:7-11
One of the greatest biblical examples of the Lord blessing those who keep seeking Him is Ruth. Life had placed Ruth in bleak circumstances. After her husband Mahlon’s death, she returned to the land of his nativity, Judah, with her mother-in-law, Naomi. She was a foreigner from the land of Moab with no family to care for her but Naomi, who was also widowed. How would these two widows make ends meet? Where would they turn to find the necessities of life? She trusted not in the gods of Moab, but in the true God of Israel.
The book of Ruth is a book filled with requests. There are several requests made to the Lord on behalf of Ruth that He would care for her. Naomi’s request for both her daughters-in-law is found in Ruth 1:9, “The LORD grant you that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.” The book goes on to show how Ruth found rest from her heartaches because Boaz, a near kinsman, took her to be his wife (Ruth 2:20; Ruth 3:1-2; Ruth 4:13). When Boaz met Ruth he mentioned how he had noticed all the sacrifices she had made in caring for Naomi (Ruth 2:11). Boaz went on to express his request of the Lord to Ruth, “The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust” (Ruth 2:12). The book goes on to show how the Lord would, through Boaz, repay Ruth with food enough for her and Naomi (Ruth 2:14, 17-19; Ruth 3:15-17). When the people in the gate and the elders of the city witnessed how Boaz agreed to marry Ruth and purchase from Naomi all that belonged to the family, they said of Ruth, “The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman” (Ruth 4:11-12). The book goes on to show how all this was accomplished because Ruth’s great-grandson was king David (Ruth 4:18-22).
God’s providential care is seen in the various episodes in the lives of Ruth’s family. While God’s plans for Ruth were to her unexpected, they were not because He was unconcerned. That it was the Lord who blessed all the characters in this narrative is repeatedly acknowledged (Ruth 2:20; Ruth 3:10; Ruth 4:14; etc.). The book, then, gives us assurance that though we cannot with specificity identify it, we can trust that God’s providence governs our lives as well.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6
-Mark Day
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