Let Me Raise You Up

Ruth 4:5 & 10 (NIV) 
Then Boaz said (to the guardian-redeemer) 'On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property… Then Boaz announced to the elders..'I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown.' 

Hesed love can bring restoration to people’s lives. In the book of Ruth, we see this through Boaz. Moabite Ruth would not have been accepted into the community. She was an outsider but Boaz chose to provide her with safety and security. He was willing to risk his influence in the community. 

Then and now people are often afraid of ‘outsiders’ and so Boaz's decision is even more striking. He put his own reputation on the line to provide Ruth and Noami with security and to restore them publicly to a place of protection and hope.  

When I was a child my parents ran something called Mish Kids Oasis. This was a youth group set up for teenagers born in the UK, raised in another country, and brought back to the UK when their parents work overseas had finished. As a family we hosted 50 – 60 teenagers three or four times a year for a weekend in our home. These teenagers were struggling with loss, pain, identity and being accepted in the UK. 

Through these weekends I saw how powerful restoration could be. After spending time with our family, some even lived with us, and in processing their experiences, they found their identity again. This restoring love impacted many lives and enriched my family greatly.  

In the West we often focus on ‘I’. Where do I belong? Where do I fit in? Hesed love looks outwards to someone else being seen, heard, and accepted. We restore something in them and through doing that something in ourselves. Each day we are presented with opportunities to show this Hesed love to someone. From inviting someone for a meal, to offering to buy food for a homeless person, to simply asking someone how they are. The impact can be significant.  

Prayer - Father, open my eyes to see those around me who I can reach through simple acts of Hesed love.