Step into God's Appointed Timing (Prophetic Word from Ruth 2024)
What if God is positioning you at the right place at the right time for such a time as this?
What if he is going to make something beautiful out of the pain of the past?
What if his hidden hand is weaving together a beautiful, triumphant story for you in the middle of your mystery? In the middle of your disappointment? In the middle of the unknown?
While you may feel delayed like you missed it or somehow took a detour to get off track of God's plan for your life ...
What if God's appointed timing for your life is right on schedule? There are some promises and harvests that await God's appointed timing in our lives. In today's prophetic message, I am going to share some encouragement for now from the book of Ruth.
Pieces of this post are excerpts from my newly launched book, Prophetic Promises: Navigating Your Adventure to God's Promises, which you can get here!
God's Prophetic, Appointed Times
First, I want to explore the prophetic time we are in and what it means for us as followers of Jesus. We are currently in the time of Shavuot on the Jewish Calendar from the evening of June 11th to 14th, 2024! Let's explore why this is a prophetically significant date.
This is a time to celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai to Moses, and the time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all people on the day of Pentecost. God's word and his Spirit are given to his people.
Shavuot also celebrates the 50th day of the counting of omer, which is a measurement of the grain of the barley harvest. The counting begins at Passover and ends on Shavuot.
In the biblical timeline as followers of Jesus, this is a really special prophetic fulfillment. Our King Jesus was crucified on Passover. After our Lord rose again and ascended into heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. God's timing is both mysterious and perfectly planned!
Traditionally, the book of Ruth is read during the 2nd night of Shavuot. It's believed that Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem during Shavuot and the barley harvest.
Today I want to share a prophetic message from the story of Ruth about God's appointed timing ... and how this applies to us right now.
At the Crossroads: Where You Go, I Go
The book of Ruth begins with a tragic ending. Naomi’s husband and two sons have died, leaving her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, without husbands.
Thus, Ruth found herself at a crossroads.
She faced a pivotal decision: would she stay in her homeland of Moab and start over? Or would she follow Naomi, her mother-in-law, into an unknown land?
Ruth decides to be brave. She tells Naomi, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).
There was no turning back for Ruth. She made up her mind. She chose to forsake all she knew and followed the one true living God.
Little did she know her faithfulness would position her for a beautiful promise.
Prophetic insight: Follow Jesus into the Unknown
Right now, many people feel like Ruth and Naomi must have felt. You are at a crossroads. You are staring at a blank slate, a blank schedule for your life. You need new direction and are stepping into a new beginning from God. You may be looking back at everything that burnt down around you in the past, or you're looking at a field that God pruned back deeply.
Others may have full schedules and full plans ... but you sense in your heart that God may be pulling you in a different direction than what you have planned, even if you're not sure where he is leading you yet.
In these moments of change and transition, it's easy to give into fear of the future and hopelessness. How do regain vision for life and hope for the future when your plans were cleared, doors slammed shut, or you went through a major time of shifting, loss, or sudden change? How do you have hope for the future when you don't see yet the windows of opportunity or doors of destiny God is opening for you? We find a time-tested key in the story of Ruth for how to handle these moments of uncertainty and transition.
We are invited to follow Jesus into the new and unknown. Choosing to follow Jesus isn't a one-time deal. It's an opportunity we have in every season of life. It's an invitation we have every time we face a major change or shift. It requires us to lay down our plans, our expectations, and our will... and choose to seek and follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
Maybe you're in a season like Anna from Frozen Two... all you know to do is the next best step for today, without knowing what's coming tomorrow.
Whenever we face significant change, will we stay where we are in the familiar, or will we choose to follow Jesus wherever he is going?
Ruth's choice was a prophetic foreshadowing for us. Her choice to follow the one true living God parallels the choice we have to follow Jesus into the new and unknown, no matter the cost.
Right Place, Right Time
In the very next chapter of Ruth, God’s hidden hand begins to turn tragedy into triumph.
It just so happens that Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem at the start of the barley harvest.
It just so happens that Ruth stumbles into the barley field of a man named Boaz.
So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech. Ruth 2:3 NLT
The word for “happened” in this passage is the Hebrew word qarah, which speaks of a providential circumstance—an encounter from being in the right place at the right time (Strongs H7136).
There is no Hebrew word for coincidence. God’s hidden hand orchestrated the timing of the women’s arrival in Bethlehem. His providence placed Ruth in Boaz’s field.
It just so happened that a story of loss turned into a beautiful, redemptive love story.
Ultimately, this divine qarah moment leads to Boaz becoming Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer.
As a result, Naomi and Ruth now had provision and protection for life. What’s more, Ruth and Boaz have a son named Obed, who becomes the grandfather of King David. From the line of King David came the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
While Ruth's story started with pain, loss, and uncertainty, God's hidden hand positioned her for favor in Boaz's field of dreams. Both Ruth and Boaz chose to serve the Lord, and their faithfulness to honor him put them both in the right place at the right time.
What was a time of uncertainty for Ruth and Naomi was God's appointed time of promise and harvest.
What seemed like a coincidental meeting in a field was part of God's bigger dream: bringing our Savior into the world! He accomplished an amazing plot twist and weaved it together so seamlessly and gloriously. He is truly a Great Author.
Prophetic Insight from both Ruth and Boaz
So often we may wonder if God has a plan to move and bring breakthrough in our lives. We wonder how and when he will open the door of destiny we have been praying for. When will he bring a plot twist or a new chapter or beginning?
Like Ruth, we need to choose to follow God wherever he goes. We need to be faithful to glean in the field where He puts us. He will take us from gleaning in the field to owning the field as we surrender all to go where he is going.
(While this story of course speaks of Ruth, a woman, this message of following Jesus no matter the course also applies to men.)
However, let's take it a little deeper with the character of Boaz. Boaz was just as faithful as Ruth. He was a man of integrity, boldness, honor, and favor. I feel like the Lord is saying, "It's time to come out of hiding and into boldness and bravery, like Boaz! Step into your role and responsibility and watch as I provide for you and through you! Pay attention to what I am doing in your ordinary and everyday moments. I will take ordinary moments and disappointments and turn them into divine appointments tailored to you." I also see new business ideas coming forth as people honor God and steward what he has put in their hands. God has a way of honoring and lifting up the humble and the generous. I pray that as you faithfully glean in the field and steward what God has given you in this season, he will open up your next doors of destiny.
Follow Jesus, No Matter the Cost
When the road to God’s promises becomes rocky and uncertain, we have a choice to make, like Ruth.
Will we continue to follow Jesus, no matter the cost?
Or will we turn back to Moab?
Moab was an idolatrous nation that didn’t follow the Lord. Naomi and her family ended up in Moab in the first place because of a famine in Bethlehem. They didn’t trust the Lord to provide, so they left home for a country that could supply food. Moab represents rebellion, disobedience, and following other gods.
Turning back to the familiar may seem tempting, but we must resolve not to return to what God delivered us from.
When we face an unexpected crossroads, let us be brave like Ruth and vow to Jesus, “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.”
As we do, we may find ourselves perfectly positioned for his promises.
God will weave qarah moments into our lives, the right place, right time providential appointments, putting us directly in the field of our dreams. We will find ourselves safe under the shadow of His wings.
When it seems like the end, keep going, keep following Jesus. The end of a familiar road is your new beginning. Your crossroads is your turning point into destiny.
Your promises from God await you, just ahead. Be faithful to glean in the field where God has positioned you.
May your testimony be, "It just so happened God put me in the right place at the right time as I surrendered all to follow him."
Did this word bless you? Part of this word is from my new book!
My New Book: Prophetic Promises
All of God's promises are Yes and Amen for Your Life
My new prophetic devotional-style book, Prophetic Promises, is officially launched!
This is more than a book. It's a prophetic message for a generation. God is preparing his people to enter into the promised land he has for us. No matter the reports of the giants or the impossibilities and roadblocks we face, God is going to bring breakthrough and fulfill his word in our lives in this time.
Throughout the book, I share prophetic encouragement, devotional style biblical insights, personal stories of breakthrough in God's promises, and much more!
You'll grow in your ability to hear and discern God's voice as you pioneer the path toward his promised land for you.
Check out the book here on my website or on Amazon!
Leave a comment below to let me know if word this encourages you!
About the Author
Mariel is a writer, speaker, and prophetic mentor. Her heart is to encourage this generation with right-now prophetic words that reignite hope during the waiting between a prophetic promise and its fulfillment. Through her ministry, the Embolden Co., she holds seasonal prophetic mentorships, training programs, and retreats to empower people around the world to develop their spiritual gifts and hear God for their lives—so they can bring revival to the nations.
You can follow her on social media on Instagram @Mariel_Villarreal_ and Tiktok @Mariel.Villarreal and Facebook @TheEmboldenCompany to get more prophetic encouragement!
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Sources: ONE FOR ISRAEL. "The Biblical Tradition of Counting the Omer." ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry. Last modified May 31, 2016. https://www.oneforisrael.org/holidays/the-biblical-tradition-of-counting-the-omer/.omer/
