Our last three weeks in the book of Ruth have been tough sledding.

So far, it’s been a depressing story of famine, death, heartache, pain, disappointment and despair. (Did I leave anything out?) Starting this Sunday, however, things begin to get better. Chapter one started with a famine and a departure to Moab. The chapter ends with a return to Bethlehem and a barley harvest. This is the gospel of Ruth: there is hope in every single life because God is always at work. Even when he is silent or appears to be absent, his hand is still on your life. The irony is that Naomi doesn’t see it. Ruth doesn’t see it. Boaz doesn’t see it. The same is true of us. Most of the time, when we are in the midst of life as it’s happening to us, we don’t see it either.

The story of Ruth, however, lets us in on the secret of God’s mysterious grace. One writer says, “Even when his purposes are hidden, his fingerprints are on every page of our life. His footprints are not only in the sand of history but our story.” As we come to chapter 2, the story of Ruth becomes a story of romance and redemption. Love is about to blossom in a barley field. We can forget, however, that God is also working toward the greatest love story ever told.