No Mere Coincidence!

  
"And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech." Ruth 2:3

Often, what we may view as happenstance, fluke, luck and mere coincidence, can in fact be the providing and directing hand of God. When we trust in the Lord and lean on Him prayerfully, desiring His ways and will in our lives, and in a Ruth-like determination cling in love and faith to our Saviour, we can pretty well dismiss the idea of ‘coincidence’.

Life doesn’t ‘just happen’ for the believer. It is guided and steered, filled with purpose and answers. God takes a hand in every part of our lives, directing and leading, even when we may not be fully aware of it. He helps and encourages, opens doors, and gives strength to overcome. His providence covers the needs and His wisdom provides the answers that truly fulfil the genuine seeker.

Ruth couldn’t have known that out of all the possible fields she could have chosen to glean in, “her hap” - clearly God’s unseen guiding hand, would land her in the field of her dead father in law’s relation, named Boaz, in whose eyes she would find favour and who would eventually be willing to perform the duty of the levirate, marry her and raise children who in turn would become forefathers in the blood line of the Lord Jesus Christ! She couldn’t have known, but God knew. She couldn’t have planned and directed the events, but the Lord is able to pilot happenings, determine timing and manage individuals to bring forth the outcome which was in His master plan and design to begin with! He knows the end from the beginning and so nothing in what God does and allows in the trusting believer’s life is mere coincidence.

What relief, joy and comfort the believer who walks with God, finds in the knowledge that life is not a chance ‘roll of the dice’, or a series of meaningless, unguided coincidences, but rather the unfolding of God’s loving, purpose and plan. The closer and more intimately we walk with the Lord, the more sensitive we become to this truth and the more thankfully we praise and glorify the One who is able to keep, guide and provide for His children.

What precious lessons we can learn from the text before us, as we consider that for the believer nothing, not even casual events, should be taken as unimportant or inconsequential - for in such seemingly insignificant actions and happenings could hide the seeds of God’s great unfolding plan for our lives. It is wise for us therefore to look out for and carefully follow the leading of the Lord’s providence, sensing after His Spirit for direction and steering. Most of all we should be mindful to give Him glory for all He so graciously performs in our lives, remembering that as we acknowledge Him in all our ways He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:6). 


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