Women of Faith

Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God – Ruth 1:16

Although this passage is perhaps most well-known for its use in weddings—and appropriately so, since Ruth is following through on her commitment to her deceased husband’s family—it actually has even greater implications than family fealty or devotion.

Ruth is making an exclusive commitment, not only to her mother-in-law, but to the God of Israel. Ruth is stating that, although she grew up in an idolatrous and multi-theistic society, she will now have only the one true God as her God. She is leaving behind all sentimental or superstitious attachments and clinging to God as the single object of her devotion and worship.

What about you? Is God your God, or are your affections and attention still splintered in a thousand different directions, by every unchecked appetite, by the attraction of multifarious luxuries, by the fear of what others will think? Have you made a hard and fast commitment to God?

May you be emboldened by Ruth’s courageous example to tell your friends, co-workers, and family members not even to try to dissuade you from the decision you have made, the course that you have set for following hard after God.