In this second half of the year, God is ushering us into a season of perfection, turnaround, and restoration. Whatever troubles, failures, pain, and anguish that plagued us in the first half or our past lives, God by His power will turn things around for us.

God’s ability to do that can be seen in the life of Ruth. God turned her life of tragedy into a happy ending.

1. Her background: Ruth was a Moabitess, a descendant of Moab, Lot’s grandchild from an incestuous pregnancy (Gen.19:30-37). The Moabites were permanently excluded from the assembly of Israel (Deut.23:2-4, 6) because they were not kind to the Israelites and their king Balak had hired Balaam to curse Israel (Num.22:4-6).

2. She was childless after ten years of marriage, and then her husband died (Ruth 1:4-5)

3. As a widow she was considered a poor person in those days.

However, Ruth’s downhill life began to turn around when she made the God of Israel her God (1:16). Ruth was drawn to God because Naomi was still devoted to God despite the loss of her husband and two children. God rewarded Ruth for putting her faith in Him (Heb.11:6), and demonstrating her faith through works (James 2:17-23):

1. Ruth had compassion on Naomi and showed her kindness by refusing to let anything but death separate them (1:16-17).

2. She was diligent and hardworking (2:2,7,17). Faith in God should not lead to laziness or idleness.

3. She was respectful and humble (2:2,10).

4. She was obedient to instructions (2:8,23).

5. She was generous, sharing what she worked hard to get with Naomi (2:18).

God rewarded her faith and works by ordering her steps (Ps.37:3) into the right place/field (2:3), at the right time, to meet the right person, Boaz (2:4-5), who eventually married her (4:13).

Ruth’s life was turned around when:

1. The poor widow got married to a man of great wealth (2:1). A testimony of moving from being single to married, and from poverty to riches.

2. By marriage, she became a co-owner of a field where she was not even a worker but collected leftovers.

3. The childless woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son (4:13).

4. The foreigner, who was separated from Israel and despised because of her ancestry, became an ancestor of king David and our Lord Jesus. Her son Obed gave birth to Jesse, the father of David.

As you put your faith in God and demonstrate your faith through good works and complete devotion, even in the crises of life, may He turn your life around by His power. May God turn your sickness into health and healing, your barenness into fruitfulness, your poverty into riches, failure into success, and every bad news into good news. May your testimony and new song inspire many people to make the God you serve their God. Blessings!