Anchor Devotional

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Grace at Work

“And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, ‘Let me go to the field and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.’ Naomi said to her, ‘Go ahead, my daughter.’” Ruth 2:2

Until now, Naomi has been blinded by her own bitterness, but that will soon change. She’s been showered with God’s grace through the person of Ruth who has kept her promise to Naomi to not abandon her mother-in-law but actively care for her.

So why is Naomi herself not working? Is she too old and enfeebled? Is she too crippled by the weight of her own suffering? All we know is that Ruth is doing the work that will sustain Naomi’s life. She is doing what Naomi cannot so that Naomi may live. And she is not by any means slacking (v. 7).

Along with Ruth’s faithful work on Naomi’s behalf, we see more of the heart of Boaz. He comes to his field and offers the Lord’s blessing on those working there (including a young woman). This is not a man who does what is right in his own eyes. Rather, he seeks the Lord’s blessing for others. God has now raised up two servants for Naomi’s sake. How like our good God to provide real people—whether family, friends, acquaintances, or even strangers—to be His hands in the lives of His needy children!

SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Ruth 2:2-7

INSIGHT
God not only tends to the hopeless—He raises up others to do the same.

THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Numbers 14-15
Psalm 68
John 9

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