May the LORD make the woman… like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah… and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you.
Ruth 4:11-12
Ruth and Boaz are married in the presence of many witnesses, and what follows can be summed up in one word: blessing. The elders and witnesses pray for them, providing a template prayer for any newly married couple.
Pray for the gift of children. “May the LORD make the woman… like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel” (4:11). Ruth had been married to Mahlon for 10 years and no children had been born. Rachel was married to Jacob and for years had no children, until the LORD opened her womb. The witnesses know that children are a gift from the Lord. When children are conceived, this is in the purpose of God. When children are not conceived, this, too, is in the purpose of God.
Pray for the continued pursuit of godliness. “May you act worthily in Ephrathah” (4:11). Boaz is described as “a worthy man,” and Ruth is described as “a worthy woman” (2:1; 3:11), so they are well matched. They are devoted to God. “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). If you have this, you will be blessed and you will be a blessing.
Pray for the triumph of grace. “May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you” (4:12). The story of Perez is so painful, you wonder how any good could come of it. And yet, here is Perez in the honored line of Abraham’s descendants by whom God brought blessing to the world! There is hope here for the person who has the worst possible start in life.
Which of these three prayers do you find most encouraging today?
