ANSWERED PRAYER

And he said, ‘Who are you?’ And she answered, ‘I am Ruth your maidservant. So spread your wing over your maidservant, for you are a kinsman redeemer.’ Ruth 3:9

They were all hungry. It was almost time for school to start and yet there was no food or money. George calmly stood before the children, lifted his hand, and thanked the Lord for the food they were about to eat. As soon as he finished praying, there was a knock at the door. It was from a baker who told Mr. Mueller that he had not been able to sleep that night and had felt the Lord prompting him to bake bread for the orphans. No sooner had the baker left then there was another knock at the door. This time there was a milkman standing there. His milk cart had broken down and he was hoping that the children could drink the milk to lighten the load so he could repair the empty wagon.

Ruth’s situation seemed almost as impossible. She was a foreigner, an outsider, and a widow. There were no available men with whom she was willing to entrust her care and provision except the almost too perfect man, Boaz. And yet she dared to believe that God would provide her with security through this man. And so, from a posture of humility (“your maidservant”) she asks, “Will you spread your wing over me?” In Jewish culture this meant that you were agreeing to care, protect, and love that person (Ezekiel 16:8). It was Ruth’s way of reminding Boaz that he could be the answer to his own prayer (Ruth 2:12).

What challenges are you facing today? Have you prayed about it? Do you believe that God can answer your prayer? “And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).

Philip Moeller