Ruth 2:3 (NLT) So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.

Ruth was a Moabite woman who married one of Naomi's sons when Naomi and Elimelech moved to Moab because of a severe famine in the land where they lived. In the course of their lives, Elimelech died, as well as his and Naomi's two sons. That left Naomi alone with her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi released the two women from the responsibility of having to stay with her as she was traveling back to her own country with a heavy heart. Orpah left but Ruth refused to leave her. She traveled back with Naomi to the town of Bethlehem where Naomi's family was from. Ruth decided to not only follow Naomi but also to make Naomi's God, her God. That God was none other than the one and only God that there is. She remained faithful to Naomi and one day, she decided that she would go out to glean some grain so that she and Naomi would have food in the house. Harvesting behind harvesters, which is what she set out to do, was dangerous for a woman who was alone and who didn't have a husband. She could have very well been molested or abused by some of the male harvesters. But "as it happened," according to the verse above, she wound up in a field that belonged to a man named Boaz. Boaz just "happened" to be a relative of Naomi and one that was close enough to be a kinsman-redeemer. A kinsman-redeemer had the privilege or responsibility to act on behalf of a relative.

It may seem like a coincidence that Ruth happened to randomly pick the field of a close relative of Naomi's but if you follow the story, you see that this was no coincidence but instead, was God intervening in the lives of Naomi and Ruth for blessing. Ruth would wind up marrying Boaz and being mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. There are only four women mentioned in that lineage and she was one of them. Her and Boaz where the parents of Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. So, what would seem as a random coincidence turned out to be a glorious plan of God to not only bless Ruth and Naomi, but also to bless the entire world as the lineage would trace all the way through to Jesus.

When you determine to honor and obey God, coincidences will not be a part of your life's experiences. Instead, you will experience divine appointments that God has set up before you were even born to bless you and to bring glory and honor to His Name. That includes when unfortunate things happen as well. Obviously, Naomi and Ruth experienced pain as they both lost their husbands, but God had a plan that would greatly outweigh the sorrow that they experienced. God loves you and has things that He has prepared in advance for you, and those things will lead to blessings for you and to glory for Him as you acknowledge His sovereignty in your life. Everything will work out for your good (Romans 8:28), and that won't be a coincidence!

Pastor Joey Vazquez