Reclaiming the Truth
10 “At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, ‘Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?’
11 Boaz replied, ‘I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.’” Ruth 2.12
Redeeming the Time
Even Ruth recognizes her story doesn’t make sense. Her character is consistent, unwavering and aligned with a will outside of her own understanding. Boaz sees Ruth’s reliance and simple trust, and he recognizes and blesses the favor in which she rests. Boaz is not stating that Ruth has had to earn favor, yet because of where she placed her favor, she receives God’s refuge. John Piper states it this way, “She has set her heart on God for hope and joy. And when a person does that, God’s honor-not the value of our work is at stake, and he will be merciful. If you plead God’s value as the source of your hope instead of pleading your value as a reason for God’s blessing, then his unwavering commitment to his own glory engages all his heart for your protection and joy.” Ruth loved. Ruth expressed loyalty and diligence not because she needed to prove it or earn it. Love moved her to this position as she simply answered the invitation to rest under the wings of the Almighty.
Let’s join Ruth. Let’s choose to rest in the shelter of the Most High and trust Him, follow Him and rest in having received His favor.
Reflection
- Do you ever feel like you need to prove your value or worth?
- Who or where do you turn first for refuge?
- How is God ushering you to be more at rest in Him as your refuge?
Resting in His Redemption
Read and receive the truth of Psalm 147. Take a moment and rest in His refuge. Write a prayer of praise for God being your safe refuge, your mighty help and your shelter. Praise Him for the invitation we have to position ourselves in the shelter of His grace.
Psalm 147.10-11
“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Psalm 91.1-2
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
