Ruth 4:13-15 (NIVUK)
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: ‘Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.’
Half way through Naomi’s story she changes her name from Naomi, ‘pleasant’, to Mara, ‘bitter’, exclaiming that she had a full life but has been emptied. It’s not surprising, having experienced famine and the loss of her husband and two sons, and suddenly finding herself on her own. But through Ruth and Boaz, God has shown his compassion and mercy, and has fed her, protected her, and given her a new family.
Pray for those you know who are empty, that in his love and grace God would fill them. Maybe God could use you as he used Boaz and Ruth?
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