My “Chance” Encounter on a Train Shouts of God’s Providence
It was sometime around 6 P.M. on a July evening in Washington, D.C. I worked as a research assistant for an education nonprofit. My long day of supporting meetings and publications was at an end. I was ready to reach my home. I bolted for the train station, hoping for an uneventful ride. Little did I know that the God who governs all things was guiding me to just the right seat on that train.
Months before, the youth minister at my church, along with his wife, had introduced me to a young man. They spoke highly of his knowledge of Scripture and his love for Christ. The four of us went on a double date and a slow friendship began between me and this man. The steady progress halted to a full stop after some heightened tensions in my family. Conversations ended, and I assumed that would be all between us. My assumption proved wrong as I stepped into the crowded train that evening. I had walked into the very car, to the very row, and the very seat occupied by that same young man. He looked up, offered his seat to me, and we haven’t stopped talking since then.
My husband and I have often marveled at God’s providence in our “chance” train encounter. That moment ultimately led to our marriage, our four children, our partnership in local church ministry, and so much more. “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Our sovereign God is writing a big story, and He’s pleased to weave our individual tales into a narrative that displays His wisdom and glory. God orders our steps; and there’s a quiet verse in the book of Ruth that screams of His providence!
A Sovereign God Guided Ruth’s Steps to a Redeemer
The first chapter of Ruth ends with Naomi back in her native Bethlehem. She arrives with Ruth, her widowed daughter-in-law, at the beginning of the barley harvest. The book will use the harvest fields of Bethlehem as the backdrop for the next few scenes of this tale. Ruth, a foreigner from Moab, demonstrates steadfast love for the older Naomi by volunteering to glean (gather leftover stocks of grain) from unknown fields. Ruth sets out with no clear direction—still, Someone guides her footsteps. Notice the following verse.
“So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3, ESV). This verse isn’t necessarily a “superstar” in the book of Ruth. It’s not as quoted as the famous: “Where you die, I will die” passage (Ruth 1:16–17, ESV). Ruth 2:3 isn’t loud—yet, it boasts of God’s incredible providence. Ruth, the Moabite, walked onto the barley fields of Bethlehem and her footsteps “just happened” to land on the part of the field belonging to Boaz. Those ordered steps will be the start of Ruth’s redemption.
Boaz demonstrates steadfast love of his own. Being a worthy man, he guards Ruth from possible assault as she gleans barley in his field (Ruth 2:8–9, 22). Boaz shares his food generously, going beyond the mandates of the Mosaic Law (Ruth 2:14–19; Deuteronomy 24:19). And in the end, Boaz marries Ruth through a levirate marriage (Ruth 4:1-13). He becomes a “redeemer,” a close relative who weds a childless widow to care for the woman and provide an offspring to keep the property of the deceased in the family (Deuteronomy 25:5–10). The story could have ended here—with hopes for a happily-ever-after. But God had so much more in mind. Ruth’s footsteps onto Boaz’s field was one step closer to the true Redeemer we all need.
God is Governing Your Steps in His Story of Redemption
Ruth and Boaz welcome a son named Obed. Obed would grow to father Jesse and Jesse would father David, King of Israel (Ruth 4:21–22). The genealogy that closes the book of Ruth begins the Gospel of Matthew. Ruth, the Moabite, becomes the ancestral mother of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). David’s line culminates with the birth of the only Redeemer who guarantees a happily-ever-after. Jesus lived, died, and rose to make all things new. God is working according to the counsel of His will to unite all things in Christ (Ephesians 1:7–11). This includes our unique stories—and sometimes, even our seat on a train or our footsteps on a field.
The point is this: God’s providence shows up in the routine places of life. John Piper has become known for this saying: Every day, in every circumstance, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”1 It’s astounding to consider the power of God’s purposeful sovereignty! He’s weaving a tapestry with more threads than we can fathom. God is putting all things under the feet of Christ and writing a big story for His own glory (Ephesians 1:20–21). Dear Christian, let’s trust the Redeemer’s providential hand as we walk our steps in obedience to His Word. He’s doing ten thousand things in your life—each one is for your good. Perhaps we will see God’s unfolded tapestry in the end—until then, may His will be done in our lives.
Notes:
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John Piper, “God Is Always Doing 10,000 Things in Your Life.”
Additional Resources for Trusting God:
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The Seed of the Woman: 30 Narratives that Point to Jesus by Nana Dolce |
A Joy That Endures |
Is God Enough For Me? |
Ruth Bible Study |
Peaks and Valleys: A Study on the Life of David |
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