Aug 23, 2026 | Ptr. Paul Tanchi
The story of Ruth begins in a time of famine, uncertainty, and spiritual chaos. Yet in the midst of ordinary people facing ordinary struggles, God was quietly at work.
Ruth’s story reminds us that God’s favor is not always expressed through comfort, luxury, or an easy life. Rather, God’s favor means that He sees us, cares for us, and provides for us according to His purpose.
Face God in Your Emptiness
Naomi knew what it meant to experience loss. Because of a famine, she and her family left Bethlehem and moved to Moab. There, Naomi’s husband died. Her two sons eventually married, but after about ten years, both of them also died. Naomi was left without her husband and her children (Ruth 1:1–5).
Imagine the weight of her grief. She had experienced famine, migration, widowhood, and the loss of both her sons. Yet Naomi did not remain in Moab. When she heard that God had provided food for His people, she arose and returned to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:6). Her emptiness could have driven her further away from God, but instead, she turned back. When Naomi eventually arrived home, however, her pain remained. She asked to be called Mara, meaning “bitter”, because she believed that she had left full but returned empty (Ruth 1:20–21). Her feelings were real, but her story was not over.
We must be careful not to judge what God is doing based only on the chapter of life we are currently experiencing. Naomi saw only her emptiness, but God was already at work. Chapter one was not the end of her story. Our emptiness and pain are not reasons to run from God. They are reasons to run to Him. Naomi returned to God, and Ruth, who had come from Moab, chose to declare, “Your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16). In their pain and uncertainty, both women turned toward God.
When disappointment comes, face God in your emptiness. Even when you cannot see Him working, trust that He is not absent.
Follow God in Faithfulness
Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. Ruth could have remained passive, waiting for her circumstances to change. Instead, she faithfully did what was in front of her.
She went to the fields to glean grain, providing for herself and Naomi (Ruth 2:1–3). In what appeared to be an ordinary act of faithfulness, God was already directing her steps. Ruth’s character was evident in the way she lived. She was committed to Naomi and to the God she had chosen to follow. She demonstrated courage, diligence, humility, integrity, gratitude, and faithfulness.
Her ordinary faithfulness led her to the field of Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s late husband. Boaz recognized Ruth’s devotion and prayed that God would reward her because she had come to seek refuge under His wings (Ruth 2:12).
Boaz then showed her extraordinary kindness. He ensured that she could glean safely and abundantly, and Ruth brought what she had gathered home to Naomi. Even in receiving this provision, Ruth continued thinking of someone else. Her faithfulness was displayed not through dramatic achievements but through the ordinary responsibilities before her.
This is an important reminder for us. We often want God to do something extraordinary while overlooking the ordinary things He has already placed in our hands. But faithfulness begins there.
Do the ordinary things God has called you to do. Follow Him in your relationships, responsibilities, work, ministry, and daily choices. You may not yet see how God is orchestrating the bigger picture, but He is able to use ordinary faithfulness for His extraordinary purposes.
Fix Your Hope in God, Our Redeemer
Through Boaz, Naomi began to recognize God’s provision. He was more than simply a relative; he was a potential kinsman-redeemer: someone who could act on behalf of a family member in need.
Ruth eventually approached Boaz and courageously asked him to act as her redeemer. Boaz recognized her integrity and promised to do what was right, though another relative had the first right of redemption (Ruth 3).
Ruth had acted in faith. Now she had to wait. This is where faith becomes especially difficult. When God tells us to act, we must act in faith. But when we have done what He has asked and the outcome is beyond our control, we must also learn to wait in faith.
Boaz faithfully followed the proper process. When the closer relative chose not to redeem Ruth and Naomi’s property, Boaz stepped forward. He redeemed what had been lost and took Ruth as his wife (Ruth 4:1–10). Ruth had been faithful in the ordinary. God accomplished the extraordinary.
Ruth and Boaz became the parents of Obed, the grandfather of King David. But God’s plan extended even further. Ruth, a Moabite woman who had once been outside the people of Israel, became part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5–16). Her story points us to an even greater Redeemer.
Boaz redeemed Ruth and Naomi, but Jesus Christ redeems us from sin. Ephesians 1:7 reminds us that in Christ we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of His grace.
Perhaps you are facing a chapter of emptiness today. Do your part in faith, trusting God to do what only He can do. The chapter you are living today is not necessarily the end of your story. And whatever happens, we have a Redeemer in Jesus Christ.