Before we look at the stories of Hagar, Ruth, Boaz, David, and Mary Magdalene, we first need to take a look at where many of these events will take place: the desert. It was there, in those dry, difficult, and seemingly desolate places, that they encountered God, were transformed, and they receiv...

Hagar was an Egyptian slave. As such, she had two major strikes against her: (1) she was in the lowest social order, and (2) she was a foreigner
and outsider living in Israelite society. She must have felt unseen by everyone. But God not only saw her but also cared about her.

But Ruth’s story is a powerful testimony of what can happen—and what God will do—when one person chooses to be faithful to another person. The story is even more remarkable when we consider that Ruth was an outsider.

In Jewish tradition, Boaz was called a kinsman-redeemer. Ruth and Naomi desperately needed this type of protection . . . and so do we. Maybe we aren’t destitute or suffering at the hands of a patriarchal society like Ruth and Naomi were, but we all need redemption. We all need people who can vouc...

Even though David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons—and even though he was not even present when the prophet Samuel came to his family’s home—the Lord saw him and selected him to be the next king of Israel because of his heart. In this world, we can feel unseen and overlooked the way David m...

Mary of Magdala's story reveals that we are never too sick, or too afflicted, or too much of an outcast for God to see us. He will never leave us or forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5–6).