“Naomi replied, ‘Stay here, my daughter, until you know how it turns out. The man won’t rest unless he settles this matter today.’” (Ruth 3:18 GW)
My heart always swells with joy when I remember that we serve a God who truly cares about us. We serve a God who, even when we have messed up our lives, is willing and able to take that mess and make something beautiful and amazing out of it. We serve a God who, out of His great mercy, is able to give those who no longer have any reason to live a new beginning and a beautiful future to look forward to.
Now, the story of Ruth, which we have in the Bible, illustrates what I am saying in remarkable ways. Ruth had become a widow at a very tender age. And she became not just a widow but a childless widow. Ordinarily, as a result of that, one would expect this woman to go out into the streets, find another man of her age and start a new life.
But, as the Scripture makes clear to us, Ruth did not do that. She did not try to rebuild her ruined life by herself, as her fellow widow, Orpah, did. And why? She must have perceived that her problem was spiritual; she must have seen that her family’s predicament was a direct result of living outside the will of God.
To cut a long story short, Ruth, who most probably was raised in a pagan family, decided to release her life to God (Ruth 1:16–17). And when she did, she did so wholeheartedly. Ruth yielded her life to God without expecting anything in particular in return. She was just content with the fact that her life was in God’s hands.
However, what Ruth probably did not know at that time was that no one who committed his life to God would ever regret doing so, regardless of how messed up that life was. Even if you do not ask God for anything, as long as you truly and wholeheartedly yield your life to Him, He will restore you and make things right for you.
And do you know? That was exactly what God showed Ruth. God began to move all kinds of people, here and there, to work together for the rebuilding of Ruth’s ruins. And, to crown it all, He prophesied by the mouth of Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, that the man God was going to use to bring her into her inheritance would never rest until he settled her matter. How marvellous!
Now, this same God who worked on Ruth’s behalf is willing and able to work on your behalf this day if you also turn your life over to Him. He is able to so move people on your behalf that they will not rest until the matter of your promotion, advancement and fulfillment is resolved. All you need to do, as I earlier mentioned, is to turn your life over to Him without any kind of reservation. And you will begin to see Him make people work tirelessly on your behalf until your life is restored, beautified and made what it is meant to be.
Have a lovely day.
Life application: Name one area of your life that you have been trying to repair on your own—a broken relationship, a stalled plan, a habit or a disappointment. Pray a prayer of full surrender over it, without bargaining or setting terms, and then keep taking the next faithful, practical step while you wait for God to move people and doors on your behalf.