How to Discern God's Will in Your Choices

Introduction

How can you know if the field you're walking through is the right one? How can you be sure your marriage, your job, your church aren't just coincidences, but choices God prepared for you? JM Botteron opens the book of Ruth, chapter 2, to answer these questions with a simple pastoral conviction: divine direction doesn't fall from the sky like a winning ticket. It's received on your knees, in the prayer that comes before the decision. Ruth prays before going out to glean, and "as it happened" she ends up in Boaz's field. In the text, there's no such thing as chance: there's providence. This message gives you concrete markers to tell the two apart in your own life, and to choose the way Ruth did: sensitive to the Spirit and obedient to the word.

Message Outline

1. Boaz comes from Bethlehem: Christ comes down to you

• Ruth 2:1 introduces Boaz as "a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech." The Hebrew term evokes a hero, a man of valor, admired for his deeds. Boaz here is a picture of Christ: mighty, rich, able to redeem.
• When the woman who had been sick for twelve years touches the edge of Jesus' garment, power goes out from him to heal her (Mark 5:25-34). In Christ there is a power that reaches you the moment you draw near in faith.
• Jesus calms the storm with a word (Mark 4:39), raises Lazarus after several days in the tomb (John 11:43-44), and walks on water (Matthew 14:25). All authority has been given to him in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).
• Boaz "came from Bethlehem" (Ruth 2:4). Bethlehem, "the house of bread," is where Jesus, the bread of life, was born (John 6:48). Boaz comes down to the field; Christ comes down to you.
• Leaving the glory of heaven to come to us is like a man choosing to become an ant to save the ants. The gap is staggering, and yet Christ crossed it.

2. Ruth prays before acting: God's will is sought on your knees

• Ruth doesn't set out at random. She tells Naomi, "Please let me go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I find favor" (Ruth 2:2). Before the step, there's prayer.
• The text notes: "she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz" (Ruth 2:3). To the rushed reader, that's chance. To the spiritual reading, that's the hand of God steering Ruth toward that exact field.
• You might think you met your spouse by chance, found your church by chance, landed your job by chance. If you pray, it won't be chance: it will be providence.
• Cain and Abel picture two ways of choosing. Cain offers the fruit of the ground: a human, reasoned choice, made without consulting God. Abel offers an animal sacrifice, in line with the garment of skin given to Adam and Eve: he has spiritual sensitivity, and God approves his offering (Genesis 4:3-5).
• Romans 8:14 sets the standard: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God." You need to reach that level: fewer human calculations, more listening to the Spirit.
• God directs with precision. Jesus "needed to pass through Samaria" (John 4:4), to reach the town of Sychar, to the well, at the exact hour when the Samaritan woman would come to draw water. God has a precise plan for you too, not just a general direction.

3. Ruth submits to Boaz: staying in the field God has given you

• Boaz tells Ruth, "Listen, my daughter. Don't go to glean in another field, and don't go from here, but stay here close to my maidens" (Ruth 2:8). A simple word, a clear instruction.
• Your flesh will push you to look elsewhere the moment you're told to stay put. Ruth doesn't run that calculation. She respects Boaz and submits to his word. It's a picture of the church submitting to Christ.
• Weariness, routine, the hard work of gleaning from morning to evening: these are tests. If Christ says there's nothing better elsewhere, believe that word as you would believe Jesus himself.
• Had Ruth disobeyed that instruction, she would have stepped outside God's will. Your obedience will be tested at the same points: staying in the church where he placed you, staying attached to the word, not running off after a more "interesting" field.
• Don't wander from the field: the field is God's presence. Wherever Christ feeds you, protects you, gives you water his servants have drawn (Ruth 2:9), that's where you should stay.

4. Grace for the foreigner: the gospel is for you too

• Ruth is a Moabite, a stranger to the covenant. She's amazed: "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" (Ruth 2:10). It's a question any believer from the nations can ask Christ.
• Ephesians 2:13 answers: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ." The new covenant is open to whoever believes, Jew or Gentile.
• Ruth becomes a picture of the church made up of Jews and Gentiles, brought into God's people by faith. If you believe in Jesus as your Savior today, you've entered that same grace.
• Naomi, on the other hand, had left Bethlehem out of famine and a human decision. She lost everything in Moab. But she came back. Bethlehem remains the house of bread, the house of God, the place of restoration for a bitter heart.

Key Takeaways

• No prayer, no providence. Without prayer before your decisions, you stay in the realm of chance and the consequences of your own calculations.
• Boaz is a picture of Christ. Mighty, rich, coming down from Bethlehem into your field, able to redeem you and stir up power in you the moment you draw near in faith.
• Providence is precise. Like Jesus going to the well at Sychar at the exact hour, God has a precise plan for your life, not just a general direction.
• Staying in the field is an act of faith. When weariness pushes you to look elsewhere, Christ's word keeps you in his plan.
• Grace is within reach. Like Ruth the Moabite, you've been brought near by the blood of Christ. You can come back to Bethlehem even empty-handed.

Personal Application

• Before your next big decision (a job, a move, a commitment, a relationship), what time of prayer will you set aside to seek God's will?
• Which recent choices did you make without praying first? What consequences have followed, and what do you want to hand over to God now?
• Is there a "field" God has given you (a church, a ministry, a marriage, a job) that you're tempted to leave out of weariness rather than divine direction?
• Like Naomi, have you gone off to "Moab" somewhere in your life? What concrete first step will you take to come back to Bethlehem, the house of bread?
• Do you look more like Cain (offering whatever's convenient) or Abel (seeking spiritual sensitivity) in the way you're serving God this week?

Scriptures Cited

• Ruth 2:1-9 · Ruth gleans in Boaz's field
• Romans 8:14 · Led by the Spirit of God
• Ephesians 2:13 · Made near by the blood of Christ
• John 4:4-26 · Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Sychar
• Mark 5:25-34 · The woman healed by touching Jesus' garment
• Mark 4:35-41 · Jesus calms the storm
• John 11:38-44 · The raising of Lazarus
• Matthew 14:22-33 · Jesus walks on water
• Matthew 28:18 · All authority has been given to me
• John 6:48 · I am the bread of life
• Genesis 4:3-5 · The offerings of Cain and Abel

FAQ

How can I know if a choice comes from God or just from me?

A choice led by God starts with prayer. Ruth prays before going out to glean, asking to find favor in the field of someone who will welcome her (Ruth 2:2). If you don't pray before your decisions, you stay in the realm of chance and your own calculations. If you pray, God directs your steps and turns chance into providence, just as he did for Ruth, who ended up in Boaz's field without knowing it. Romans 8:14 puts it plainly: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God."

Why go back to Bethlehem when I've lost everything in Moab?

Bethlehem means "the house of bread." It's the place of God's presence, the place of spiritual nourishment, and it's where Jesus, the bread of life, was born. Naomi left for Moab out of famine and a human decision; she came back empty-handed, but she came back. If you've walked away from God's presence and lost everything, you can come back too. The Father's house stays open, and restoration begins wherever God's bread is found.

What should I do when God asks me to stay where I'm weary?

Boaz tells Ruth, "Don't go glean in another field. Don't go from here, but stay here close to my maidens" (Ruth 2:8). Your flesh will push you to look elsewhere, but obedience to Christ's word keeps you in his plan. Weariness isn't a signal to leave: it's a test of faithfulness. Stay in the field God has given you, stay attached to his word, and you'll see favor rest on your work.