Nothing Just Happens

 

...and she happened to come

to the part of the field

belonging to Boaz

who was of the clan

             of Elimelech.

 

             Ruth 2. 3

(In the story of Ruth in the Bible,

there are no "just so happened" occurrences

           or random encounters,

but only that which God designed

           down to the very details.

God guided her

     all the way from the foreign land

                       of Moab

     to this very field in Bethlehem

     in need of reaping.

Ruth would become

   great grandmother to King David.

God was unfolding

           His grand design in her life.

She had only to be faithful to Him

                    in the everydays,

in what looked like just gathering grain.

God is unfolding

     His grand design in our lives.

We have only to be faithful to Him

   in whatever He places before us

   and whose field we gather.

Our work does not just matter.

     We matter to Him.)

O LORD,

We thank You

that Your hand is on us,

no matter where we are today

              or what we do.

Help us to be assured

   that You are working in us

   and through us

for Your Kingdom,

for Your glory,

Your name written all over it,

   even in what

   we may never recognize.

Nothing just happens.