The elders and all those gathered with them at Bethlehem’s gate pray a beautiful prayer for Boaz and Ruth and the home they are to establish. Their prayer reminds us of the importance of praying for Christian marriages, families and households. We live in days when so many marriages and families are falling apart, including many Christian ones. How we should pray for our own homes, and for all homes, that they might know God’s heavenly benediction.

The prayer for the wife (11)

They pray that Ruth may be like godly Rachel and Leah of old. How we should pray for young Christian women entering into marriage today. Those who have been converted from the world have often had very poor examples of what a wife ought to be, and even those brought up in Christian homes have often been let down by those who should have known better. May the Lord raise up a mighty army of godly, praying, loving Christian wives.

The prayer for the children (12)

They pray that Ruth and Boaz would be blessed with children. We know that the Lord doesn’t always give the gift of children, but that doesn’t make it wrong to ask, or to keep asking. However, in this as in all things, we must be ready to submit to God’s will, whether He gives none, one, or many. It does remind us of the importance of praying for our children. It is better not to be given any than to have them and not to pray for them.

The prayer for the husband (11-12)

They also pray for Boaz. In a sense, their prayer for Boaz is intermingled with their prayers for Ruth and the possible seed. This reminds us how intimately bound up the life and success of a husband and father are with his wife and children. What a responsibility he has to love, protect and provide for his own, and only when he takes that seriously can he expect to have the kind of wife and family that are a strength and support to his wider work.