It was nine years ago that I first wrote this article. I felt compelled to share it again. Sometimes, as women, we tend to wonder, “Where is my ‘Prince Charming’; is he ever going to come along because I am not getting any younger?” The answer to that question is nestled in Proverbs 18:22, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD” (ESV). So what does that mean? As women, we are not supposed to go looking for whom we think is “Mr. Right” because that is clearly and spiritually out of order. Sometimes, we tend to look for love in the wrong places when the Word shows us that it is not necessary. It is not God’s desire for us as women. Just wait for God to reveal His plan of action. God makes a woman to be a wife, but the proper order is for the man to find her so that he will get approval in God’s eyes.
A true testament to this divine order of marriage is a story narrated in the Book of Ruth. The story’s namesake, Ruth, did not go looking for a man after she lost her husband. However, the “Right Man,” Boaz, presented himself to her. It was in the fields where she was working that he discovered her. This love story between Ruth and Boaz shows what “right” things can come out of tragedy and what can happen when two people follow God’s plans for marriage. Ruth was not in search of love, but love found her, as she was devoted to her late husband’s mother, Naomi. The results were priceless!
Boaz was a man of great wealth and was in a leadership position. Therefore, he had status and could offer Ruth a life of substance. Further, he was much older than Ruth, but when God is in the plan, that doesn’t matter. When you wait patiently on the Lord, you allow Him to work amazing, unimaginable wonders. Sometimes, just let go and let God. I implore you to read this story about Ruth and Boaz for yourself because there is so much to be learned from this love story that carries such a powerful message for both men and women of all generations. Finally, mothers who have daughters of the dating age, I challenge you to share and explain this story to your daughters.
Ladies, are you still looking? Be patient and wait on the Lord. Hold on: your Boaz is on the way! Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
