Philippians 4:19 says: "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Have you ever taken the time to dwell on what this promise really means?

     If so, then you have also probably encountered some spiritual frustration. "What about this need I have had for years?" you wonder. "Doesn't God care about that aching hole in my heart? Why doesn't He just fill it?"

     In the past, you may have attempted to meet the need yourself or to figure out why God hasn't responded yet. Sometimes you may have even felt faithless and thought that God did not hear you because of this "weakness" or lack of consistent prayer. Deep inside, you know your need can only be filled by God, which further frustrates matters and reveals your complete lack of control over the situation. You cannot successfully meet your own need or compel God to comply with your personal desires, time schedule, or concept of how it should be accomplished.

     Here's some good news—that is exactly the position in which God wants you to exist. No, God does not enjoy your pain or take delight in seeing you linger in suffering or confusion. He is a God of infinite love, gentleness, and compassion.

     Nothing He does or does not do is out of spite; even His discipline, when it comes, is perfectly administered out of love. (Hebrews 12:4-11) His reigning purpose in allowing a delay in meeting your need is to strengthen your faith and reliance on Him, and consequently to wean you of self-sufficiency. (James 1:1-12) In a very real sense, your unmet need is a form of trial and temptation. It's a trial because its unfulfillment can be truly painful, and it poses a continual temptation of turning away from God to meet your needs.

     So what are you to do when the delay goes on, the pressure to give up increases, and you're weary of beating yourself up with false guilt? Keep your eyes on the Lord and follow Him no matter what. That statement may sound like a platitude, but worked out in the realm of spiritual experience and the journey of faith, it has profound implications.

     Years ago, long before Jesus was even born, there was a quiet young woman whose life took a sudden turn for the worse. Her name was Ruth, and she was a Moabitess (from the land of Moab). Not long before, an Israelite couple named Elimelech and Naomi had come to her country to escape a famine in Bethlehem. They had two sons, and Ruth became the wife of one of them. Tragically, within a very short time, Elimelech and the sons died. Both Naomi and Ruth were without husbands and alone in a world where women were vulnerable to poverty and ruin without a man to care for them.

     Naomi made the decision to return home to Bethlehem, and she offered her two daughters-in-law the chance to remain in their homeland of Moab. One stayed, but notice Ruth's famous response of loyalty: "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God" (Ruth 1:16).

     Ruth's pledge reveals her heart. Remember, humanly speaking she has little motivation to go with Naomi. Moab is her home. She may have had close ties with her parental family, and she certainly had friends. Ruth was familiar with all the customs and traditions. She could have regarded her brief marriage to a foreigner as a short but sad interlude in her life and simply gone her way.

     However, through Naomi's family, Ruth had met more than her husband. She had come into contact with the living God, the Yahweh to whom Naomi entrusted herself, even when circumstances went sour. (1:11-13) The name Yahweh refers to the Lord as the God of the covenant, the promise to love His people always and care for them. Ruth's decision made her a part of that covenant, and her life would never be the same.

     Also notice she does not rely on her own resources; in fact, by leaving with Naomi she reduced them. Ruth had a far greater chance of marrying and resuming her former lifestyle if she stayed in Moab. How would she fit in among strangers? Would they accept her? How would they make a living, two women on their own? But Ruth did not worry; she handed her great load of need to the God she had heard was faithful.

     Ruth and Naomi set up their small, new home in Bethlehem near Naomi's family, who were very surprised to see her again. To get some food, Ruth went to look for a good field in which to glean. In those days, people in need of aid were allowed to pick up stray pieces of grain in fields during harvest time. In that area, it was the beginning of the barley harvest, so Ruth had plenty of fields to pick from.

     But guess what happened—she did not end up in just any field. God led her to the one of Boaz, a close relative of Naomi's. He was a faithful man who trusted God and immediately had compassion on Ruth. He gave her special gleaning privileges and ordered his men to "accidentally" drop some extra on the ground, so that she would have plenty to take home.
     The good news didn't end there. By Israelite law and custom, Boaz as the closest relative was called the kinsman redeemer. This meant that he had the right and the duty (if asked) to buy Ruth's late husband's land and to marry Ruth, so that her family would be carried on. At Naomi's suggestion, Ruth went to Boaz at the threshing floor to lie down and claim his protection.

     This scene from Ruth 3:6-18is a beautiful picture of God's protective love. In fact, the whole concept of the kinsman redeemer points to Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate Redeemer who covers you with His righteousness and protection for eternity. Listen to the tender words Boaz spoke to her, as she was humbly curled at his feet: "May you be blessed of the Lord, my daughter . . . [D]o not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence" (vs. 10-11).

     From that day forward, Ruth enjoyed the love of a godly man, and they had a son named Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of King David. Do you remember who came from the line of David? Years later in that very city of Bethlehem, a baby named Jesus would be born. What a tremendous blessing—out of the simple faith and obedience of a young girl, God carried forth His plan for the ages.

     Ruth had no idea what God was doing at the time in which the events unfolded. How could she possibly have guessed the breadth of His purposes? God did not give her any bold signs from heaven or a special message from an angel, although sometimes He chooses to operate in this fashion. All Ruth had was the simple testimony of Naomi and her family, and circumstances were not even good in Naomi's life when Ruth made her decision of faith.

     What is holding you back from trusting the Lord to meet your needs? Are you afraid that He won't, or are you afraid that you will have to wait longer than is comfortable? We don't know much about Ruth's life after she was married, but we can assume that she lived for several years, maybe until old age. When she came upon more hard times, Ruth had a foundation of faith to build upon. She could look back at the marvelous works God had already done in her life, and she surely learned to trust Him more.

     The same is true for you. As you lean on God to meet your needs, you are open to His provision. When He in His own special way gives you fulfillment, you know without a doubt that the answer came from the Lord. Then when you face new and potentially greater needs, you have a personal experience of His grace to recall. The heroes of faith in the Bible were just ordinary people, many of them with tremendous problems who made mistakes along the way. What they did learn was to trust God to be true to His promises and to lead them through life.

     In Ruth 4:14-15, the women blessed Naomi and referred to her grandson as a sign of God's favor and ultimate salvation. You can apply these words to your life today: "Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age."