2026-02-22 FINDING FAVOR IN THE FIELDS

Finding Grace in the Grain Fields: When God Works in the Ordinary Moments of Life

Ever feel like you're just trying to make it through the day? Like you're picking up scraps, hoping there's enough to get by? You're not alone—and you're in better company than you might think.

Ruth knew that feeling all too well. She was a widow, a foreigner, and flat broke. When she asked her mother-in-law Naomi for permission to glean in the fields—basically picking up leftover grain after the harvesters—she wasn't asking for a miracle. She was asking for survival. Just enough for today.

But here's what makes Ruth's story so powerful: what looked like survival was actually divine choreography.

When Faithfulness Looks Like Showing Up

Ruth's story in chapter 2 isn't flashy. There's no Red Sea parting, no fire from heaven, no dramatic rescue. It's just a woman in a dusty field, bending down to pick up grain. Yet this humble act of obedience reveals something profound about how God works.

Ruth went looking for grain—and "happened" to end up in Boaz's field. The narrator writes with a knowing grin because there's no such thing as luck in God's economy. While Ruth was gleaning, God was governing. While she was putting one foot in front of the other, God was arranging field assignments, timing encounters, and positioning her exactly where she needed to be.

Sometimes faith doesn't leap mountains. Sometimes it's just the courage to show up.

Providence Works in the Details

What Ruth didn't know was that Boaz was a relative of her late father-in-law—and a man of noble character who would go above and beyond what the law required. God's gleaning laws commanded landowners to leave grain for the poor, the foreigner, the widow, and the fatherless. Ruth checked all four boxes.

But Boaz didn't just follow the letter of the law. He showed chesed—a Hebrew word meaning loyal love and covenant kindness. He protected Ruth, fed her, and commanded his workers to leave extra grain for her. This is grace language. This is the gospel in seed form.

God's favor isn't earned—it's extended. Ruth brought nothing to the table except her need, and that was enough.

Your Field, Your Grain, Your Grace

Maybe you're in your own grain field right now. Maybe you're not looking for romance or legacy or some big breakthrough—you're just looking for enough to make it from today to tomorrow. A strained relationship that needs one honest conversation. A job that pays the bills. The strength to get out of bed and try again.

Here's the truth Ruth discovered: the grain was there because of God's grace, but it only fed her because she bent down and picked it up.

God has positioned you right where you need to be. He's made room for you through Jesus Christ. But grace that isn't received by faith doesn't nourish you. You have to trust what God has already provided and take the next step—even when it feels small, even when it's not glamorous.

Take the Next Step

This week, ask yourself: What is "just enough" that I'm asking God for today? Then take one humble step of obedience. Show up to the field God has placed you in—whether that's your workplace, your family, your church, or a difficult conversation you've been avoiding.

Call to Action: If you've never placed your faith in Jesus, today is your day. He's enough for today and the promise of tomorrow. If you're a believer struggling to trust God in the day-to-day, return to the field. Depend on Him again.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for finding us in our difficult moments and providing a way forward. Help us trust You for today's provision, recognizing that Your grace is already at work even in the ordinary. Give us courage to show up, faith to bend down, and eyes to see Your favor all around us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

2026-02-15 WORSHIP THAT CLINGS

Cling to God When Life Empties You: Finding Hope in the Story of Ruth

Have you ever felt like God's hand has turned against you? Like everything you once held dear has slipped through your fingers, leaving you hollow and alone?

That's exactly where Naomi found herself in the Book of Ruth. Three graves. Three funerals. No husband. No sons. No future. Standing in a foreign land with nothing but grief and two daughters-in-law, Naomi's life had been completely emptied out.

Maybe you know that feeling. The diagnosis that shattered your plans. The relationship that crumbled despite your best efforts. The job that never materialized. The silence from heaven when you desperately needed to hear God's voice.

When Pain Clouds Your View of God

Here's what makes Naomi's story so relatable: she didn't stop believing in God. She just started believing He was against her.

"Don't call me Naomi," she told the townspeople when she returned to Bethlehem. "Call me Mara—bitter—because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty."

Sound familiar? Most of us won't abandon God in suffering. We'll just reinterpret Him through our pain. We'll still show up to church, still pray, still sing—but the joy fades. The tone shifts. Our grief fogs the windshield, and suddenly we can't see God clearly anymore.

The crisis doesn't create our theology. It reveals it.

The Power of Clinging to God

But here's where the story takes a beautiful turn. While Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye and returned to her old life, Ruth made a different choice. She clung to Naomi.

"Don't ask me to leave you," Ruth declared. "Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God."

This wasn't just family loyalty. This was worship. Ruth was leaving everything—her homeland, her family, her gods—to follow the Lord. She had no guarantee of blessing, no promise of provision, no visible reward. Just faith in a God she was learning to trust.

That's what real worship looks like when life empties you. Not demanding explanations. Not waiting for clarity. Just clinging to God like a child grabs their parent's leg during a thunderstorm.

God Works Before You See It

Here's what Naomi couldn't see yet: while she felt emptiest, God was working at His best.

The narrator quietly adds this detail: "They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest."

Naomi saw emptiness. God saw harvest. She saw loss. God saw lineage—a lineage that would lead to King David and ultimately to Jesus Christ. The provision was already growing. The redeemer was already in town. Redemption was already possible.

God's providence is often invisible before it becomes undeniable.

What Are You Clinging To?

So let me ask you: what are you holding onto right now? Control? Resentment? Independence? Or Jesus?

Maybe you're in an empty season—empty marriage, empty nest, empty bank account, empty heart. The temptation is to rename yourself "Bitter" and believe God has abandoned you.

But the harvest may already be growing. God may be arranging redemption in ways you cannot yet see or understand. Awakened worship doesn't wait for clarity—it clings to God in the fog.

Your Next Step: This week, identify one area where you feel empty. Instead of demanding answers, practice clinging to God through prayer, Scripture, or worship. Tell Him, "Your God will be my God," even when you can't see what He's doing.

Prayer: Father, when life empties us, help us cling to You. When pain clouds our vision, remind us of Your faithfulness. We don't always understand Your timing, but we trust Your heart. Teach us to worship You not just when the pantry is full, but when the shelves are bare. In Jesus' name, Amen.