The book of Ruth records over a dozen prayers of blessing (1:8-9, 2:4, 2:14, 2:19, 2:20, 3:10, 4:11-12, 4:14), all of which are answered in the book itself. This paper will argue that the prayers in Ruth are an intentional narrative vehicle which drives the development of the plot. For example, Naomi’s initial prayer for Ruth to find rest in the home of a new husband (1:9) creates a tension that is not resolved until the end of the narrative. Boaz’s prayer that Ruth will be fully rewarded by God under whose wings she has taken refuge (2:9) becomes an ironic challenge as Ruth later asks Boaz to be the answer to his own prayer (3:9). The blessing of the elders of Bethlehem over Ruth, Boaz, and their family (4:11-12) comes to immediate fulfillment through God allowing Ruth to conceive (4:13). Furthermore, the pattern of answered prayer leaves the reader with a proleptic anticipation of God’s continued blessing over Boaz and Ruth’s offspring, especially the line of David. The blessings that God fulfilled in the book are intended to linger over the Davidic offspring of Ruth and Boaz.
In sum, the prayers in Ruth form a matrix of blessings, anticipation, and answers that drive the events of the book and demonstrate God’s providential guidance and care. Rather than presenting God as absent, removed, or uninvolved, the book of Ruth should be read as the book of answered prayer.