God Redeems the Ruins
“No man trusts God unless he absolutely has to.” – Ron Dunn
There are moments in life that leave us dry, empty, and aching for hope. You might be standing in the middle of what feels like the ruin of your story, confused, broken, or even bitter. But what if I told you that sometimes, it’s in the barren fields where grace begins to bloom?
Welcome to the story of Ruth, a woman just like you, navigating grief, uncertainty, and faith. Her story begins in the dusty outskirts of Bethlehem at a time when Israel wandered far from God.
“In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” — Judges 21:25 (ESV)
Dark times. No leadership. No direction. No bread in the "house of bread." Just famine, tragedy, and the ache of being far from God. But right there, in the middle of disaster, God was already at work.
When Everything Falls Apart: A Trail of Tragedy
Picture Naomi. A refugee in Moab with her husband, Elimelech, and two sons, hoping to escape famine. But Moab was no oasis; it was a land of false gods and painful memories. And Elimelech? He tried to fix a spiritual famine with a geographical move, taking his family far from the one place God had promised His presence.
“But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons.” – Ruth 1:3 (ESV)
Ten years passed. Both her sons died. And just like that, Naomi was a widow with two grieving daughters-in-law, far from home, with nothing left to cling to.
This wasn’t just grief. It was the total unraveling of a life.
But this is where God loves to meet us, when our hearts, our plans, and our hope are broken. Why? Because brokenness makes space for surrender…and surrender opens the door for redemption.
Choice on the Road: Orpah Turns Back, Ruth Presses In
When Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem, she urges both daughters-in-law to go back to their families. One does.
Orpah chooses comfort over covenant.
But Ruth?
She chooses God even in the unknown.
“For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” — Ruth 1:16 (ESV)
That’s not just loyalty, that’s conversion. Ruth walks away from her identity as a Moabite to walk into the covenant of Israel. She had every reason to turn back, but she followed the aroma of something greater, the grace of God pulling her in.
A New Chapter in the Field
Broke, hungry, and new to the land, Ruth ends up gleaning in the fields. In ancient Israel, gleaning was a way for the poor and marginalized to pick up leftover grain. It's not glamorous, it’s scraping the scraps. But the field she “just happened” to end up in?
It belonged to Boaz.
“And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz…” — Ruth 2:3 (ESV)
That word "happened" could almost make you smile. Because nothing just happens in God’s economy. This wasn’t dumb luck, it was divine providence. God was scripting every detail for a redemption Ruth could’ve never imagined.
Boaz sees her. He doesn’t call her “that Moabite girl.” He calls her daughter. He protects her. Provides for her. Invites her in.
You need to know: that’s exactly what your Redeemer does too.
“[Boaz] said, ‘The Lord be with you!’” — Ruth 2:4 (ESV)
While the world around did whatever was right in their own eyes, Boaz chose what was right in God’s eyes.
The Redeemer Steps In
As Naomi realizes who Boaz is, a kinsman-redeemer (a male relative who could restore what had been lost), a spark of faith begins to flicker again. Naomi, once bitter, is now brave. She sends Ruth to Boaz in the quiet of the night with a bold, redemptive request:
“…Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” — Ruth 3:9 (ESV)
Boaz doesn’t just say yes, he steps up with honor. Even when a closer relative had the legal right, Boaz led with righteousness and love.
And from that obedience, God births a legacy:
“So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife… and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.” — Ruth 4:13 (ESV)
Ruth becomes the great-grandmother of King David… and from her line came Jesus, our eternal Redeemer.
From Brokenness to Beauty: What Ruth Teaches Us
Ruth’s life reminds us that:
God can take our tragedy and turn it into His triumph.
Where the world sees a field of scraps, God plants seeds of legacy.
Our bitter seasons don’t have to define us, they can refine us.
Your yes to God can open the door for generations of redemption.
Boaz’s heritage matters too, his mother was RAHAB, the prostitute. God is not afraid of your past. In fact, it’s often the fertile ground where His grace grows the deepest roots.
And here’s the aroma of it all:
“Through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God…” — 2 Corinthians 2:14–15 (ESV)
When you're crushed, the fragrance of Christ can pour out of your life like perfume on dry, dusty ground.
You may feel like your story is just scraps in the dust, but God is not done.
He goes with you into loss.
He meets you in the field.
He whispers grace where the world has shouted grief.
You are not forgotten in the field, friend. You are seen, chosen, and being woven into a far greater story.
Let Him redeem it all. Because in His hands, even the broken becomes beautiful.
