The Beginning

Dear God,

You are my God, just as you are Naomi's God. It is my duty to stay with her, but Father, I ask that you will provide for us. Protect us as we journey back to the land of Judah and allow me to find work. I know that I am a Moabite woman, and it will be incredibly difficult to find someone who will provide me with work. Father, I trust in your plan, and I know that you will lead to me someone who honors you and allows me to work in your great name. God, Naomi has mentioned to me that her husband was related to a man who owned land in Bethlehem. I pray that I will be able to earn his favor and work in his field. Father, I trust you in this process and I know that you are weaving my story in a way that will honor you. Help me to bring glory to your name, Father, and help me to be unwaveringly loyal to Naomi. Amen.

Ruth

---

Dear God,

My most loyal Ruth. She is determined to stay with me, but Father, how will we find work? She is a Moabite woman; how will she be accepted in the land of Judah? God, I mentioned my late husband's family living in Bethlehem. Please let them show us mercy. Ruth working in the fields is our only hope, but I do not know if they will take her. I pray that they need extra help, and that they will use Ruth and allow her to earn a living for the both of us. Father, I know that above all, you will provide for us. There is purpose in the pain and confusion that both Ruth and myself are feeling. Please reveal even a portion of that purpose to us, Father. Amen.

Naomi

---

Dear God,

I cannot believe what is happening in my fields, Father. For the third week in a row, another woman has come to me saying that she can no longer work in the fields. I do not understand what I am doing wrong, Father. I pay these women well, I treat them well, I give them work. Without extra help, I will not be able to have a good harvest and my fields will become overgrown. I will not be able to pay for my workers without a successful harvest. Please help me to understand how to be a better leader and how to become successful. All that I have and all of my success is yours, Father. I do none of this to bring honor to myself, but to honor you. I pray that you will provide me with more help for my fields. I do not care where the help comes from or if the help even has experience. God, I just need help. Father, again, I ask you for a wife. I earnestly yearn for someone to share my life with. Someone with whom I can bring glory to your name. A hardworking, loyal wife. God, I trust you and I will continue to spend my days honoring you in every way that I can. Amen.

Boaz

Author's Note:

At the beginning of the book of Ruth, we learn about the death of Ruth and Naomi's family. Naomi wishes that Ruth and the other daughter-in-law, Orpah, would leave and return to their families. Orpah complies, but Ruth is determined to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi. I wanted to include how both Naomi and Ruth were feeling concerned about how they would provide for themselves, especially since Ruth was a Moabite woman and they were leaving Moab. Boaz was related to Naomi's late husband, and so I thought this connection was important to include for the sake of later stories. There is not much information about Boaz's workers and if he was actually lacking in help, but I thought this might be the case since he is later willing to let Ruth work for him. I also thought it was really important to include in each of their prayers how faithful each of them were. Even though none of them had clarity regarding their futures, they each wanted to glorify God. They did not worry about how they would glorify Him, they trusted that He would provide opportunities. I am really excited to see how this story will continue to unfold, and I am excited to add details that allow us to see this story from a new perspective. Thanks for reading!

Bibliography: Ruth 1-4, English Standard Version.

Heading Information: This is a map of Judah, which shows Bethlehem in the lower right corner. Moab, which is where Ruth and Naomi traveled from, would have been in the upper corner of this map (to the east of Bethlehem).