I heard this message from T.D. Jakes, and I loved it so much, I’d like to share it with you.
Let me start with a beautiful Bible story.
One day, a married couple named Elimelech and Naomi were living in Bethlehem. And they were blessed with two sons.
But when famine struck the land, they had to migrate. Just like Filipinos today, Naomi and Elimelech went abroad to look for a better life.
But in that land, tragedy happened. First, Naomi’s husband Elimelech died. Her two sons married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. And just in case you’re asking, no, Orpah didn’t have an ancient TV show…
And then tragedy struck again because Naomi’s two sons also died. So Naomi was left with her two daughter-in-laws, Ruth and Orpah. In ancient times, a widow doesn’t inherit a single cent from her dead husband. So Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah became dirt poor. What can be worse than three widows living together in poverty?
That was when Naomi decided to go back to Bethlehem and become a Balikbayan. But a very poor, destitute, impoverished Balikbayan. And she told Ruth and Orpah to leave her and go back to their families–because they had no hope with her.
The three of them cried together–and after much tears, Orpah decided to walk away. But Ruth decided to stay with Naomi. And she said, “Wherever you go, I shall go; Where you die, I shall die; Your people will be my people; And your God will be my God too.” She commits herself to care for her mother-in-law. And so both of them went back to Bethlehem.
In Bethlehem, Ruth looks for food. Out of the many lands there, she chooses to “glean” from the land of a certain Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s husband. (Gleaning was a charitable practice in ancient Israel where landowners didn’t harvest everything from their land, but left some leftovers, so that the poor people can gather these leftovers for themselves.)
And this is where the miracle happens…
And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech. Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?” (Ruth 2:3, 5)
It says that Ruth “just happened” to be gleaning on the land of Boaz. Like it was a stroke of luck. A happy coincidence. A random chance. An unplanned accident.
But did this really “just happen”? If you read until the end of the story, it says that the Boaz marries Ruth! And Ruth the Beggar becomes Ruth the Owner.
Here’s the truth: Nothing Just Happens. Because God had something to do with it. This was Divine Orchestration. The Heavenly Conductor arranged, maneuvered, and engineered various circumstances to position Ruth to harvest in this specific plot of land, which was her place of destiny.
I believe God is doing the exact same thing in your life.
Say it after me, “Nothing just happens.”
When you feel discouraged by your current situation, when you feel that things aren’t going your way, when you find yourself caught in a quagmire of opposition, and people reject you, declare that “Nothing Just Happens!”
God Determines Your Steps
The Bible says, We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. (Proverbs 16:9).
She was begging in the land of Boaz. This was her place of poverty. But God saw the future and knew that this place of poverty was actually her place of destiny. Ruth the Beggar became Ruth the Owner! Ruth, the mendicant, became Ruth, the millionaire.
Right now, you may be in a place of poverty. I declare it now to be your place of prosperity. You may be in a place of anguish. I declare it now to be your place of abundance. You may be in a place of defeat. I now declare it as your place of destiny. Your physical surroundings may be ordinary to your eyes, but behind the curtains of the physical realm, God is doing something extraordinary in your favor. Declare that God is bringing you to your place of destiny because “Nothing Just Happens”.
Think of the most painful experience in your life and shout, Nothing just happens! Think of the people that have abandoned you and shout, Nothing just happens! Think of the anguish that you went through and shout, Nothing just happens!”
When the winds are strong, the clouds are dark, the waves are high, shout, Nothing just happens! When there’s no food on your table, no money in your pocket, no friends on your side, shout, nothing just happens! When your prayers aren’t answered, when your dreams aren’t happening, and when your miracles aren’t flowing–Nothing just happens!
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
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