Dear God,
I cannot believe it! You are so good to me, Father. You are always faithful, always loyal, and you always follow through with your word. You have placed your loving, healing hand on me and Naomi and provided us with a wonderful opportunity! Through Naomi's distant family member, Boaz, you have given me work. I wanted to work for someone because that is the right, fair way to earn a living. I walked to a random field and began to pick up behind the harvesters who had dropped some of their harvest. Father, I was noticed! Eventually, after days and days of work, someone noticed me. And it was not just any farmer. Of course, by your divine intervention, it was Naomi's distant family member, Boaz. Father, he was so wonderful. He encouraged me to continue working for him, and even told me that he had been praying for a new worker. This is so divine, Father God. It is so clear to me how much you are at work in our lives. I pray that you will be continuing to work in this new relationship between Boaz and myself. I don't know what is to come of this, but I feel that it will be something special. I love you, Father, I am thankful for all that you have provided for me, and I am expectant of what you have for me. Amen.
Ruth
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Dear God,
Oh, Father, I am SO thankful for you! I am not even near surprised, Father. You are so good to us. Ruth is so special, and it is so clear to me that you are at work in her heart. She is so strong and understands what you ask of her. I am thankful that you have blessed me with Ruth. Father, please be at work in Boaz's heart. I completely trust that you have their stories interwoven, and that you will put them together in the right time. Until then, Father, I will remain faithful and expectant for your plan for Ruth and myself. Help me to see the ways that I can support Ruth, and help me to serve you in all that I do. I love you, Father, I am thankful to serve you, and I am so excited for your great plan to unfold. Amen.
Naomi
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Dear God,
Oh, Father! Ruth. She is so perfect. Father, she is exactly everything that I have ever prayed about. It is so clear to me that you have provided her for me. Father, as I came back to my farm after being away, I noticed a new woman cleaning up behind the other harvesters. The way that she so meticulously gleaned and worked. With no complaints and pure joy, she worked for you every moment of the day. Father, I pray that you will allow her to see you in me. I want to pursue this woman in the way that she deserves, but I don't want to overwhelm her. Father, help me to grow close to Ruth. Help her to see that you have purposefully allowed us to meet, and allow her to see that she is the direct answer to all of my prayers. Father, I know that this is right. I am sure of it. You work for all things that are good, and I know that this is good. I love you, Father, and I am thankful for your provision and your grace. Amen.
Boaz
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Author's Note:
I continue to fall in love with this story every single time I read it! In this section, I wanted to place a little more insight on how everyone was feeling when Ruth and Boaz first met. In the original story, Ruth began to work for Boaz, Boaz noticed Ruth, and then she went to him to become his wife. Although this is beautiful in and of itself, I wanted people to be able to understand what they might have been feeling. I truly believe this love story is such a testament to the Lord's faithfulness and loyalty, and I want to continue to highlight that in the different prayers each week. I also really want to make sure that readers understand how heartfelt and genuine these prayers are. Although in the Bible you cannot read Ruth, Boaz and Naomi's actual prayers, I can just imagine that this is how they were feeling. My assumptions are based on the characteristics that are displayed by these people in the original Bible story, as well as on my personal experiences in my faith. This is such a wonderful story and I have really enjoyed getting to add details and my own spin on what these people most likely felt in this situation.
Image information: Harvester's Resting by Jean-François Millet.
Bibliography: Ruth and Boaz Bible Story by BibleStudyTools Staff.