“Acknowledging God’s guidance in your life”
The man is near of kin to us…. —Ruth 2:20
Read Ruth 2:18-23
In our text we see that Naomi’s life began to turn around. To her surprise, Ruth returned with much food. She knows, however, that this was not by chance. Up until that time, she had experienced the chastising hand of God, but now she admits that God is showing her favour. The fact that Ruth came home with much food as well as an invitation to continue gleaning on Boaz’s fields, made Naomi cry out that the Lord has not withdrawn His goodness. She recognized the good and kind hand of God working on her behalf. The Lord cares for the “living and the dead” (v.20). Naomi confessed that the Lord remembered her husband and her sons by looking after their widows. Besides this, Naomi regarded Ruth’s contact with Boaz, a near kinsman, as a double blessing. She saw him as a possible candidate to redeem them and take care of their family. Undoubtedly, Naomi must have had dreams of a better life in the future. She did not say, “What a coincidence that you were received so kindly.” No, she saw the hand of the Lord in everything that had taken place. How important it is that we also see the hand of God in our lives!
What conclusion can we draw from Naomi’s reaction?