Heart Matters Blog

For those of you puttering along with me through the book of Ruth... we are now moving on to Chapter Two. :)  As in times past, before you get started, be sure you are nestled into a quiet little niche, free from distractions.  Take a moment or two to close your eyes and allow the silence to settle your spirit.

When your heart is ready, open your Bible to Ruth, grab your journal and pen, and ask the Savior to give you "ears to hear" His voice today.

Take some time to read through chapter two in it's entirety. Our story opens with Ruth and Naomi settling into their new lives in Jerusalem.  As you eavesdrop on their conversations and their comings and goings, take note of a verse or verses that stand out to you.  Jot them in journal...

¹⁵ This people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.  ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear... 

Matthew 13:15-16

When was the last time you noticed God's fingerprints in your life?  When was the last time you sensed the Savior's voice whispering to you on the wind?

I pray that the Savior spoke sweetly into your life last week as you sat quietly with Him in the first chapter of the book of Ruth.

Before we push on into the rest of this amazing story, however, I would like for us to spend another couple of weeks sitting with this chapter.  And I'll tell you why.  I believe that to really experience the heartbeat of what is happening in the lives of Naomi and Ruth, we need to get behind their eyes.

All of us at one time or another in life have passed through trying, pain-filled trials that leave us reeling.  Perhaps some of you can relate quite personally to the human tragedy these two women are passing through in this book.  As you re-read this passage this week, I would like for you to focus your attention on Naomi.