Some
people love being single and enjoy the freedom to serve God without a spouse. The
apostle Paul even preferred singleness and encouraged others to see it as a way
to avoid trouble and follow God without distraction (1 Cor. 7:32-35). But others feel the sting
of loneliness and wonder what is taking Miss/Mr. McDreamy so long to show up.
Sadly, many of these people
get tired of waiting on God and try to meet needs in ungodly ways.
Before
there was Match.com or eHarmony, the book of Ruth encouraged
frustrated singles. Ruth’s husband died and there were no likely prospects on
the horizon. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, decided to move back to her home country
of Israel.
Rather than remain in her native land, Ruth went with her. A widow, a
foreigner, and the sole caretaker for an elderly mother-in-law, Ruth could have
drowned in self-pity or pursued self-interest. Instead, she gladly devoted
herself to helping Naomi. Her beautiful spirit caught the admiration of one of Israel’s most
eligible bachelors—the dashing Boaz! Naomi shared some expert flirting tips
with her daughter-in-law and after a whirlwind romance, Ruth and Boaz married.
Ruth the outsider became the great-grandmother of Israel’s King David. Ruth speaks
from the pages of history and encourages women who desire to marry: “Wait for your Boaz!” And Boaz’s counsel
is to single men is equally wise: “Look
for a Ruth!”
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