PASSION TO WORSHIP THE KING (PART 8) - RUTH

A WORSHIPER OF DESTINY

“your people shall be my people, 

and your God, my God” 

Ruth 1:16

The story of Ruth is the story of one woman’s pilgrimage from the land of her birth, to the land of Judah in Bethlehem; the land of the Hebrew God, Yahweh. 

It is staggering to think of all that this young woman left behind in Moab to embark upon a journey to a foreign land and to a foreign people. She left behind her own mother and father (Ruth 2:11), her sister-in-law Orpah (Ruth 1:14-15), her recently buried husband (Ruth 1:5), her recently buried brother-in-law (Ruth 1:5), and her own native land of Moab (Ruth 2:11).
Ruth had developed a strong bond of affection with her mother-in-law, Naomi, who had also suffered the loss of her husband in Moab. Naomi was a Hebrew who had fled with her family to Moab for food in a time of famine in Bethlehem. Now she had heard that God was again visiting His people with food, so her heart’s desire was to return to her own land and her own people. The strong bond of affection between the two women was probably the very thing that God used to bring Ruth into her God-given destiny. Ruth pledges to Naomi, “your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16).
There are in life what we call “divine hook-ups”. These “divine hook-ups” in the Kingdom of God are friendships that bring about the divine purposes of the Lord in the earth. Ruth’s relationship with Naomi was one of these. 
First of all, Naomi’s influence in Ruth’s life was the catalyst that caused Ruth to pursue God with all her heart. Without Naomi’s influence, Ruth may have never encountered the Lord.
Secondly, Ruth’s labor in the field of Boaz would bring food and provision into Naomi’s house (see Ruth 2:14-18). Without this “divine hook-up” both women may have perished in the land of Moab due to the famine. 
Thirdly, Naomi’s close relationship with Boaz was to bring Ruth in line to become the great grandmother of David, future King of all Israel. The bond between Naomi and Ruth would affect generations yet unborn.
The same will be true in our own life as well. God arranges divine friendships that have His seal upon them, so that His purposes can be fulfilled. 
Ruth embarks upon the journey of her life. Leaving the comforting surroundings of her own home in Moab, she begins the journey to her new homeland in Bethlehem. The events that await her arrival in Bethlehem are nothing short of miraculous. The Lord provides there for her a new home, a new husband and a new baby!
This is a picture of what happens in our own lives as well. God calls us forth out of our own comfort zones to embrace things that are strange and new. It does not necessarily have to come in the form of a geographical move. More often it’s a shift in our hearts that takes place as God brings us to new stages or plateaus in our lives. God brings us out of the old and familiar to experience new beginnings that He has for us (our own prophetic journey). This is how purpose is fulfilled in our lives. As we answer God’s divine directives for us, our lives begin to take on the shape and the nature of our destiny. We truly are called to be “God’s own handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus (born anew), that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned before hand) for us (taking paths which He prepared ahead of time), that we should walk in them (living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live)” Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified).
God has a predetermined plan for our life. He has things for us to fulfill. Things that will help fulfill the great commission in the earth at this time. It is our faithfulness and our devotion to the Lord that will help us to see these things through. Serving God is not for the faint-hearted, nor is it always easy. But encourage our heart today with the example of Ruth.
She left all that she had behind her to serve a strange God in a strange land. She became a worshiper of Yahweh because of the example of Naomi. God rewarded the faithfulness of her heart with His great love and His provision (Ruth 2:12). Ruth’s devotion to Naomi, and to the God of Naomi, brought her into position to become the great grandmother of David, future King of all Israel.
It’s interesting to note that Ruth’s firstborn son would be named Obed. Obed means, “worshiper”. Ruth had learned from personal experience the joy of being a worshiper of Yahweh, the God of the Hebrew people. Worship God!
(an extract from: Heart of Worship by Kerrie Christensen)