Not a Coincidence

[Ruth] happened to be in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech’s family. —Ruth 2:3

After the loss of her husband and sons, Naomi returned to Bethlehem, along with her daughter-in-law. Ruth attempted to sustain their family by becoming a gleaner—gathering up bits of grain left after the harvesters had finished.

Ruth 2:3 says she “happened to be” in Boaz’s field. “Happened to be” . . . That’s what it looked like from earth’s perspective. The job search of this needy woman “happened” to lead her to the employment of a wealthy landowner, who “happened” to be a relative of her deceased father-in-law . . . and who through an ancient legal provision would “happen” to become her husband and lifelong provider.

A happy coincidence? Hardly. A stroke of luck? Not at all.

This is a story of a wakeful, watchful God who knows the number of hairs on our head and the number of stars in the universe. A God who ordains and superintends all the details of our lives from the tiniest to the greatest. It’s a story of divine providence.