In The Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar - REVIEWED

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing

About the Book: Destitute, grief-stricken, and unwanted by the people of God, Ruth arrives in Israel with nothing to recommend her but Naomi's, love. Her loftiest hope is to provide enough food to save Naomi and herself from starvation.

But God has other plans for her life.

While everyone considers Ruth an outcast, she is shocked to find one of the wealthiest and most honored men of Judah showing her favor.  Long since a widower and determined to stay that way, Boaz is irresistibly drawn to the foreign woman with the dark, haunted eyes. He tells himself he is only being kind to his Cousin Naomi's chosen daughter when he goes out of his way to protect her from harm, but his heart knows better.

In the Field of Grace is the story of a love that ultimately changes the course of Israel’s destiny and the future of the whole world.
My Thoughts:

“He has not abandoned you, Ruth.  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.  God may not always answer our questions, but He walks with us in the midst of them lest we get lost in the wilderness of our minds.  Invite the Lord into your pain.  Invite Him to be your sufficiency in the midst of it.  I promise, He will sustain you.”  (p. 263)

These are words Naomi speaks to Ruth after a journey through loss, pain, hunger, doubt, anger and many other trials.  Tessa Afshar has fleshed out the characters from the book of Ruth found in Scripture.  This story records one of the most tender testimonies of grace found in the world today.  Tessa offers a glimpse into this story as though you were walking alongside Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz as they discover the faithfulness of God in every circumstance!  EVERY circumstance!

Ruth and Boaz were unaware how their lives would impact the world for all eternity.  They had no idea that they had been grafted into the lineage of Jesus Christ.  Although centuries have passed since their relationship ushered Obed into the world, their story is filled with grace upon grace that never ceases to draw me closer to the Father.

My favorite scene – well one of my favorites - occurs as Boaz is racing across the field on his horse and God calls him to surrender.  WOW!!  I had to stop and weep and surrender some things in my own life!  This is a story of real people who faced real and harsh trials while they walked this earth.  Yet their faith and service to God survived and thrived and stands as a testimony to this day of God’s abundant grace and faithfulness!

Don’t miss this story!  Don’t look the other way!  Allow God’s grace to reach out and transform your world just as it did Ruth, Boaz and Naomi all those years ago!  Halleluiah!!  Amen!!

About the Author:

TESSA AFSHAR was born in a nominally Muslim family in Iran and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She survived English boarding school for girls before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her mid-twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDIV from Yale University where she served as co-Chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last twelve years in full and part-time Christian work and currently serves as the leader of Women's and Prayer ministries at a church in New England.