Blessed, Faithful, Obedient...

I had an ah hah moment this afternoon. A friend posted yesterday that their family needed prayer. So, myself and dozens of other friends replied with confirmations we would be praying and support. I did pray and wondered what was wrong, but I didn't ask because she didn't tell. It was obviously none of my business, even though she asked for prayer.
Fast forward a day. In her own timing and comfort level, she revealed the reason for the prayer request. Truly, I am thankful that I had prayed for her family. As people started to chime in with more support and promised prayers, one man posted something that I had to read twice. He told her that she is blessed. She is blessed because she has such great friends that when she posted for prayers, not one single person asked why. They just prayed and offered support. Wow. I had to read it twice.
Probably because in today's time where information is milliseconds away and there really are not many things left that are kept private, I guess it's standard that someone would want to know. Shoot, I wondered. All sorts of things went through my head. It really ended up being a blanket prayer because I knew God knew exactly what she needed.
This person's comment reminded me of the faithfulness of a woman named Ruth. She was loyal, loving, dedicated, faithful, and obedient. It is because of this that she was rewarded with a beautiful love story. It's not just the love story of a man and woman. It's the love she had for her mother in law and for her God.
I can imagine when her first husband died, she was pretty sure that she would return home to her family instead of staying in the foreign place she was. Now there was nobody to take care of her. But, she didn't. She stayed with Naomi, pledging her loyalty, and they returned to Naomi's homeland. Talk about scary; going somewhere you know nobody and have no idea how you will support yourself and an elderly mother in law!
But she obeyed Naomi and worked the fields that belonged to Boaz. She worked very hard and was quickly noticed. Eventually, love bloomed and through a bit more story, they were happily married. My favorite part is that the story does not end there. It's like a fairy tale, but with the "what happens next".  Ruth and Boaz were blessed with a son named, Obed. Obed grew up to be the grandfather of Kind David. Then generations later, the birth of Jesus. Ruth's loyalty led to her faithful obedience. This led to her being blessed. My "tied for first" Bible verse is "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.


What kind of person are you? The loyal kind that can be counted on in a moment's notice? Or the one that has to know all the details and how it will turn out first? I tend to think that it is far better to answer a friend's call in need with humble obedience. The blessings one receives from this act of faithfulness may be far greater and the rippling effect farther reaching then one might know during their lifetime.
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