Trusting In The Unknown
Trusting in the Unknown Key Verse: “So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.” — Ruth 1:22 (NIV)
A New Land, a New Life Last week, we met several women of the Bible whose lives didn’t go according to plan. This week, we’re slowing down and taking a deeper look at one woman at a time. Today, we return to Ruth — a woman whose loss didn’t disqualify her but positioned her for purpose. Ruth and Naomi arrive in Bethlehem with broken hearts and empty hands. No plan. No promise. No certainty. Just each other — and the quiet beginning of harvest. That one detail — “as the barley harvest was beginning” — may seem like a throwaway line. But it’s a glimmer. A breadcrumb. A hint that provision is coming. God was already working before they knew it. He still works that way.
When Grief Meets Grit Ruth is still grieving. She has no husband. No children. No support system. She’s in a new culture, following a God she’s just come to know, surrounded by customs she doesn’t understand. But she gets up anyway. She goes to the fields and starts gleaning — picking up scraps of grain behind the harvesters. In Hebrew, the word is laqat (לָקַט) — to gather, to collect, to pick up what’s been left behind. It’s humble work. It’s uncertain work. It’s work that whispers: I’m not giving up.
The Gleaning Season Have you ever been in a season of life where it felt like you were just gathering scraps? Piecing together part-time jobs, parenting through exhaustion, patching together enough hope to get through the day? That’s what gleaning feels like. I remember walking through Target one day in a season like that, with only a few dollars and a grocery list of must-haves. I ran into a friend who gave me a hug and handed me a gift card “just because.” I cried in the frozen food section. Not because of the money — but because God saw me. It felt like a reminder that even here, in my gleaning season, I wasn’t forgotten. That’s what God does. He shows up in the scraps. And sometimes, favor feels like a friend with a gift card or a kindness that catches you off guard.
Ruth’s Silent Strength Let’s not forget Naomi here. She’s still grieving — deeply. She’s not praying out loud. She’s not giving spiritual pep talks. She has renamed herself “Mara,” which means bitter. She doesn’t expect good things. But Ruth stays. She shows up. She walks alongside Naomi quietly, faithfully, without a guarantee of what’s to come. That is ministry. Sometimes the holiest thing you can do is to sit with someone in their sorrow and not leave.
Why Didn’t She Go Back? Ruth could’ve returned to Moab. She was still young. She could’ve started over with her own people, her own gods, her own culture. But something in Naomi — even in her pain — pointed Ruth to something more. Maybe Ruth had seen glimpses of Naomi’s faith, even buried beneath her grief. Maybe home no longer felt like home. Or maybe Ruth had already begun to believe in a God who redeems, even when the story seems broken beyond repair. 💬 Real Talk: I’ve Been There I’ve had seasons where I didn’t know what was next. I’ve doubted my strength, my direction, even my ability to keep going. Sometimes I had faith. Sometimes I faked it. But I kept showing up. And friend, if you’re there right now — if you’re wondering what’s next — just do the next right thing. That’s all you need to do. You don’t have to know the whole path. Just take the next faithful step.
A Glimpse of Jesus Ruth’s story parallels the woman at the well in John 4. Both were outsiders. Both came in need — Ruth for grain, the woman for water. Both encountered favor they didn’t expect. And both became part of something bigger than themselves. God delights in using unexpected women for eternal purposes.
Imagine This Ruth didn’t know the field she entered belonged to Boaz — her future redeemer. She didn’t know her name would be remembered in the lineage of Christ. She didn’t know she’d be part of a love story, a rescue plan, and a royal bloodline. All she knew was to wake up, show up, and go gather. Friend, what if your obedience today is walking you straight into a field of purpose? What if you’re standing on sacred ground and don’t even know it yet?
Reflection Questions Are you currently in a “gleaning” season? What are you trusting God for right now? What’s your next right thing? (Not ten things. Just one.) Who in your life has walked with you faithfully during a hard season? Who needs your steady presence right now — even if you don’t have the words? What would change if you truly believed God’s favor was already in motion?
Prayer Lord, thank You for walking with me into unknown places. Thank You for provision, even when I only see scraps. Give me courage to keep going — to do the next right thing — even when I’m afraid. Like Ruth, help me to trust You without a map. And when I feel unseen or unsure, remind me: You are gathering something beautiful, even now. Amen.
