Strange Providences
30 Days in Ruth and Esther - day 4
There is a small phrase that appears in Ruth 1:19:
“And it happened…”
It shows up again later in the story, and at first glance it seems insignificant. It is the kind of phrase we use to describe ordinary events—things that just happen. Coincidence. Chance. Maybe even luck.
But in Ruth, nothing “just happens.”
From Naomi and Ruth’s perspective, everything appears circumstantial. They arrive in Bethlehem just as the barley harvest begins. Ruth happens to glean in the field of Boaz. One event leads quietly to another, as if by accident.
But the writer wants us to see something deeper. Behind every ordinary moment is an unseen hand. God is not absent in these details—He is directing them.
What feels random to us is, in reality, purposeful.
Naomi cannot see this yet. All she sees is loss. Emptiness. Hardship. She believes the Almighty has dealt bitterly with her—and she is right about one thing: God’s hand is irresistible. But she is wrong about His heart.
She interprets God’s providence through her pain.
And if we are honest, so do we.
But the story of Ruth pulls back the curtain. It shows us that God is always working—quietly, patiently, and with perfect intention—to accomplish His purposes for His people.
And those purposes are far greater than we can imagine.
Ruth and Boaz could not have known that their story would lead to Obed, then Jesse, then David—and ultimately to Jesus Christ. What seemed like a series of small, ordinary events was actually God preparing the way for a Redeemer.
This is how God works.
The same providence that guided Ruth to a field was guiding history to a cross.
So when life feels chaotic, when events seem scattered and hard to interpret, remember this: nothing is wasted. Nothing is accidental. The God who was at work in Ruth’s story is at work in yours.
His providence may feel strange and even hard...but it is never without purpose.
