by John O’Malley
“And her hap was to light on a part of the field” (Ruth 2:3).
“And her hap.” What an interesting phrase! It is a comfort to know that the Lord of Glory Who places queens in palaces, Who softens the landing of sparrows that fall, and Who provides rams in thickets also guided the incidentals of Ruth’s life. She was simply looking for a job, and God brought her to the right one.
If Ruth had chosen the wrong field, she would have missed God’s handfuls of purpose. If Ruth had chosen the wrong field, she would have missed God’s man for her life. If Ruth had chosen the wrong field, she would have worked harder for less barley. If Ruth had chosen the wrong field, she would have been childless forever. If Ruth had chosen the wrong field, she would have failed to see the best that God had and would have unknowingly settled for second best.
The Lord directed the steps of Ruth and allowed her to see that the best place to glean was the field of Boaz. How many times have we walked along the paths of our lives and thought we happened to discover something, and never once contemplated that it was a sovereign God Who orchestrated the events of our lives so that we could “happen” upon His will.
When you are in God’s will, the places you will walk today, the people you will meet, and the provisions you will discover are all designed to reveal His goodness. The Lord orders the steps of a good man. Why not purpose in your heart to take each day and look for God’s hand at work in your life?
Before us today are choices that may determine if we will be in the place of His handfuls of purpose. It would be disheartening to have lived our lives and look back at life’s end and see the handfuls of purpose God would have dropped our way, but did not because we made our choices and not His choices?
How much do we include God in the decisions of our lives? How often do we communicate with Him over the simple things? Since He is interested in the watch care of sparrows, rams, and whales which have no souls; surely He is interested in us and our life decisions. There are no coincidences with God. May we seek Him early, often, and humbly for His guidance, and watch for His handfuls of purpose along our way.