Lesson Two • Serving Even When It Is Hard
Devotion #3: Goals Redefined
Stephen Billings
“At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! He said, ‘Who are you?’ And she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.’” Ruth 3:8-9
My wife and I got married on June 1, 2019. During our engagement, and even in our years of dating, we spent much time chatting about the type of life we hoped to live and the dreams that we shared. As we stepped into marriage, we began to set benchmarks for savings so that we could fulfill our goal of buying our own home and begin welcoming little ones into our lives.
No matter what stage of life I find myself in, I have found that setting goals can provide focus and motivation so that the next phases of life can begin. When I approach the book of Ruth, I think about all the family milestones which Naomi had experienced alongside her husband, Elimelech. I think about how both of Naomi’s sons, Mahlon and Chilion, were raised. The way she approached and influenced her sons’ next milestone would help achieve many mothers’ goals of being a grandmother someday.
However, as the book of Ruth begins, we quickly discover that Naomi does not have the chance to have grandchildren from her two sons. Instead, Naomi’s next stage of life is greeted with pain, grief, and sorrow as she quickly witnesses the passing of her husband and two sons. I can only imagine the sense of loneliness and confusion which Naomi must have been feeling as she watched her family pass away.
Not only did the hope of having grandchildren fade away for Naomi, but also her ability to function in society, which was deeply dependent on the father figure to provide for all of their family’s needs. Even though all hope seemed to be lost for Naomi, God had the plan to redeem her circumstances. Ruth 2:1 (CSB) shares that there was a “prominent man” in the line of Elimelech, who we later learn could redeem Naomi’s daughter Ruth, which would return hope to Naomi’s family.
As we read in Ruth 3:8-9, Ruth boldly approached Boaz for help by laying at Boaz’s feet in the middle night in order to request his help. With a heart of compassion and love, Boaz looked at Ruth just as God looks at us in our times of need. It was with love.
God wants us to boldly, yet respectfully, approach His throne with our prayers and requests as we set goals and celebrate all of life’s milestones.
Seek the Lord for His salvation, love, and compassion. He loves you so very much!