Ruth & Me Devotions for Girls by Trisha White Priebe by Barbour Books

This book belongs to It was given to me by

On this date

To Avy and Willow

Your mom was the reason I first learned to love the life of Ruth. Ask her to sing the song.

ISBN 979-8-89151-123-1

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Cover illustrations by Pedro Riquelme

Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., 1810 Barbour Drive, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.

Printed in China.

002480 0525 DS

Welcome to Ruth & Me Devotions for Girls!

Meet Ruth—a woman whose courage and faithfulness set her apart in the Bible and made her name one to remember.

This story is filled with love, hope, and the extraordinary strength found in the heart of a woman chosen by God to play an important role in His plan of salvation.

With each exciting chapter of her life, you will discover how God had a special purpose for Ruth, guiding her steps and weaving her story into His larger plan. Just as Ruth trusted in God’s leading, you too can find courage and faith to fulfill your own unique role in God’s grand design.

Let Ruth’s example inspire you to trust God’s direction. And let her help you to believe that you can make a lasting impact on those around you for God’s glory.

FOREIGN GIRL

A DARK TIME

In the days when there were judges to rule, there was a time of no food in the land.

RUTH 1:1

You hold in your hands a love story. In these pages, you’ll see how a woman named Ruth showed great kindness, loyalty, and faith. You’ll also learn how love changed her story and yours. But before you meet her, you need to know how her story began.

A time long ago, judges ruled the land. God’s people had stopped trusting and obeying Him in the way they had been taught to. It was a dark and sad time in Israel’s history.

Then—to make matters worse—there was a famine in the country. During a famine, there is not enough food for everyone to eat. Many people go hungry and get very sick. It caused trouble in Bethlehem, a town in Judah.

A man named Elimelech lived in Bethlehem with his wife, Naomi, and their two sons. Struggling to survive the famine, they decided to pack up their belongings and move far away to another country, called Moab.

But what does any of this have to do with Ruth?

Let’s see what happens next.

God, thank You for putting Ruth ’ s story in the Bible so I can read and learn from it. Thank You for helping me during every dark or scary time in my life. Amen.

A NEW HOME

They went into the land of Moab and stayed there.

R UTH 1:2

The journey to Moab was long and difficult. Elimelech and his family walked many miles, crossing hills and valleys, always looking for a place where they could find food and safety. When they finally reached Moab, they settled down and started a new life in their new home.

Unfortunately, Moab was a place where people worshiped idols—false gods and statues—instead of the true and living God. In fact, Moab was considered an enemy of Israel, God’s people.

It was important to Elimelech and Naomi that their two sons should grow up and marry women who loved God—not foreign women who worshiped idols.

But then something terrible happened. Elimelech died, leaving Naomi alone with their two sons in this strange land.

And in the very next part of the story, the two sons “married Moabite women.

The name of one was Orpah. The name of the other was Ruth” (Ruth 1:4).

So, who was this foreign girl named Ruth, who worshiped idols?

Let’s keep reading.

God, thank You that when everything looks hopeless, You are still good. Help me to remember I can always hope and trust in You. Amen.

A TERRIBLE LOSS

Both Mahlon and Chilion died. Naomi was left without her two children and her husband.

R UTH 1:5

Just when you hope the story will get better, things take one more bad turn. Both of Naomi’s sons died, leaving Naomi all alone in the world.

But was Naomi really alone? No, God was always with Naomi, just as He is always with you.

While we don’t know how Naomi’s sons died, we know that everything in Naomi’s life must have felt like it was spinning out of control.

First, she lost her home in Bethlehem.

Then she lost her husband. Finally, she lost her sons.Naomi’s heart must have felt as if it were breaking in a thousand pieces. In time, she would have to learn a hard but good truth: that even when things felt really bad, God was still there, ready to comfort and help her through any challenges. The same is true for you. No matter how difficult life may seem, God’s love and care are always there to support and guide you. Let’s see if this story gets any better.

God, just as You were always with Naomi, You are always with me. Help me to trust that You are always close when I need You. Amen.

A HUGE DECISION

But Naomi said to her two daughtersin-law, “Go, each one of you return to your own mother’s house. May the Lord show kindness to you, as you have done with the dead and with me.”

R UTH 1:8

Finally, Naomi received some good news. She learned that the famine back in Bethlehem had come to an end, and “the Lord had brought food to His people” (Ruth 1:6). This meant that there would be food and hope again.

So, Naomi made plans to return to her homeland.

But she also made a plan to leave behind her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. She knew it would be hard for them to be young widows in a foreign land, so she encouraged them both to stay in Moab

with their parents. She told them she was praying that they would be able to find love and get married again. But Orpah and Ruth did not like what Naomi had to say. The Bible says they cried in loud voices. And they both knew they had a huge decision to make—to go with Naomi back to Bethlehem or to stay with family in Moab.

Orpah chose to stay in Moab. Ruth, on the other hand, had another idea in mind.

Lord God, when I have a big decision to make, please give me Your wisdom—and the courage to do what You say.