And Ruth the Moabite said, ‘Besides, he said to me, “You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.”’ And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, ‘It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.’ So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.”
(Ruth 2:21-23 ESV)
The Hebrew word translated “finished” is kalah (כָּלָה), pronounced kah-LAH. It means to bring something all the way to completion, to carry through until it’s fully done. Boaz wasn’t offering Ruth a moment of kindness that would disappear tomorrow. His protection and provision would last through the entire harvest.
That mattered because Ruth had lived with uncertainty for a long time. Every day brought questions about food, safety, and survival. But Boaz gave her something she hadn’t had in a long time: stability. Ruth wouldn’t have to wake up every morning wondering, “Will I still be welcome?” Boaz made it clear that he would always be there for her.
A lot of us struggle to believe God works that way with us. We assume his patience has limits. We’re afraid that eventually God will get tired of our weaknesses, our slow progress, or the same battles we keep fighting. We treat grace like it might run out if we need too much of it.
But Boaz, in many ways, points us to Christ. As a kinsman-redeemer, he used his position and resources to protect and provide for someone who could not rescue herself. And the way he cared for Ruth reminds us how Jesus cares for us. Jesus doesn’t invite us to come to him and then give up on us halfway through the journey. He stays with us. As the apostle Paul put it, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” (Philippians 1:6 ESV).
There are times when life feels stuck. Prayers seem to go unanswered. Growth feels painfully slow. We wonder if God has forgotten us somewhere between the beginning and the harvest. But kalah reminds us that God always finishes what He starts. God’s work in your life may feel unfinished, but unfinished doesn’t mean abandoned.
Sometimes the hardest part is simply staying close long enough to see the harvest. Ruth returned to Boaz’s field day after day. She kept gleaning, kept trusting, kept showing up. And over time, the field where she found provision eventually became the place where she also found redemption.
If you feel forgotten today, remember kalah. The God who began His work in you has not walked away from the field. He is still bringing it to completion.
Prayer: Lord, thank You that your faithfulness doesn’t stop halfway through the journey. Help me to trust You when life feels unfinished and uncertain. Give me the perseverance to stay close to You, believing that You are still at work. Finish what You have started in me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day