The Field Wasn't an Accident

God Always Provides

After the Amen

A Four-Week Journey Through Ruth

Our church is walking through the book of Ruth, and each week after the service, I’ll be sharing a companion devotional tied to that morning’s sermon. Think of this less as sermon notes and more as carrying Sunday into the rest of the week.

Because if we are honest, most of us need help connecting what we hear on Sunday morning to what we live on Monday afternoon.

This week, our Lead Pastor Sam Landrith taught through Ruth chapter two and reminded us that God is always working and there is no such thing as a coincidence. And maybe, just maybe, your biggest pain might be your biggest ministry.

You can watch this week’s message here:

God Always Provides Ruth 2 with Sam Landrith

READ IT - Ruth 2:1-23

This Wednesday, Karen and I will celebrate twenty years of marriage. (Come back Tuesday for a Grit & Wit post celebrating that.)

Which is funny, because there was a time when I didn’t even want to go on our first date.

Back in September of 2000, a friend of mine kept trying to convince me to join a group date. I kept telling him no. I wasn’t playing hard to get. I genuinely didn’t want to go.

For about nine months, I had stopped dating altogether. I was tired of the cycle. Get dressed up. Make a first impression. Spend money. Wonder if anything would come from it. Then do it all over again.

Nah.

Every night before bed, I would pray and ask God to bring me my wife because I was finished looking for her myself.

Then a friend called and informed me that plans had already been made and I was going anyway.

So I went.

Karen and I and some other people played putt-putt and went out to eat. My first impression was that she was gorgeous. My second impression was that she was smart. Really smart. We started talking over dinner and while playing putt-putt, and I quickly realized she could keep up with my humor. She was catching my subtle jokes and firing a few back at me.

At the end of the night, I walked her back to her car. Without even thinking about it, I asked if I could call her sometime.

She said yes.

As I walked back to my car, I remember shaking my head and thinking, “What in the world am I doing?”

Twenty-six years later, I’m still glad I asked.

Looking back, there were so many moving parts that had to come together for us to meet. A cousin. A grocery store. A friendship. A fender bender. Another friendship. A group date I didn’t want to attend.

At the time, it looked random.

Now it looks like providence.

OWN IT

One of Pastor Sam’s points was simple but powerful: God always provides.

In Ruth chapter 2, Naomi and Ruth are struggling. They have no husband, no security, and very few options. Ruth goes out looking for grain and “just happens” to end up in the field of Boaz.

The problem with the phrase “just happens” is that it makes God’s work sound accidental.

It wasn’t.

Boaz was exactly where God wanted him to be.

Ruth was exactly where God wanted her to be.

And God’s provision was already waiting for her before she arrived.

It was customary for harvesters to leave grain around the edges of the field for people in need. God had already built provision into the system before Ruth ever knew she would need it.

That’s how God often works.

He knows our next steps before we do.

He prepares things before we arrive.

He provides before we even know what to ask for.

Ruth thought she was looking for grain.

God was putting her in Boaz’s field.

Ruth thought she was gathering barley.

God was gathering a redemption story.

The field Ruth walked into looked ordinary, but the extra barley was not the only provision she was about to harvest.

Pastor Sam also reminded us that provision does not mean there are no problems.

That’s an important distinction.

Sometimes we think God’s provision means He removes every obstacle, solves every problem, and smooths every rough road.

But that’s not what happened to Ruth.

And it hasn’t always happened to me either.

Years ago, I spent about eight months without a job. I remember the fear that came with that first day. How am I going to pay my bills? Am I going to lose my house? My car?

Those thoughts can get loud in a hurry.

But month after month, God provided.

He provided through odd jobs. He provided through generous people. He provided through opportunities I never expected. Somehow, there was always enough.

Not always extra.

But enough.

I continued to tithe during that season because who was I to withhold from God when He was so faithfully providing for me?

Looking back, I can clearly see God’s hand all over that season. At the time, I mostly saw the problem.

The biggest lie we believe during difficult seasons is that God has abandoned us.

He hasn’t.

The difficulty is just loud.

Another thing Pastor Sam said stuck with me all day. He quoted A.W. Tozer:

“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.”

I think there is truth there.

To have a Provider, you must first have a need.

If everything is always going well, it becomes easy to miss God altogether.

Some of the greatest lessons I’ve learned came from painful seasons. My parents’ divorce taught me how important it is to love my wife well and be present for my children. It also allowed me to connect with students who were walking through similar situations. I remember students thanking me simply for saying out loud that divorce doesn’t magically end when the paperwork is signed. Kids often carry those wounds long after everyone else thinks the crisis is over.

Pain is never pleasant.

But in God’s hands, it is never meaningless.

Your biggest pain might become one of your biggest ministries.

The same God who used Ruth’s hardship to position her for blessing can use our struggles for His glory too.

God always provides.

God always has a purpose.

God always keeps His promises.

LIVE IT

Where in your life are you dismissing providence as coincidence?

Maybe it’s a relationship.
Maybe it’s a closed door.
Maybe it’s a delay.
Maybe it’s a conversation.
Maybe it’s a season you don’t yet understand.

What if God is doing more than you can currently see?

Waiting on God doesn’t mean sitting still.

Ruth didn’t stay home waiting for provision to knock on her door.

She got up and went to the field.

Waiting on God means continuing to walk faithfully while staying attentive to His movement.

Keep walking.

Keep trusting.

Keep looking for God’s hand.

He is working even when you don’t see it.

DINNER TABLE DEVOTIONALS

1. Have you ever had something happen that seemed like a coincidence at first but later looked like God was involved?

2. Why do you think it is easier to see God’s provision in hindsight than in the moment?

3. What is the difference between waiting on God and doing nothing?

4. What are some ways God has provided for our family that we might overlook?

PRAY IT

Lord, thank You for being a God who provides. Help us trust You when we cannot see the whole picture. Give us eyes to recognize Your hand at work in ordinary moments and remind us that what looks like coincidence may actually be Your providence. Help us keep walking faithfully while we wait on You and trust that You are already preparing what we need before we arrive. Amen.

Next Sunday in After the Amen

We’ll continue our journey through Ruth as Boaz begins to step into his role as redeemer and we see an even clearer picture of the redemption God has been building all along.

See you next Sunday afternoon.