Faith is more than just believing…it’s often waiting faithfully.
Ruth and Naomi -returned to Bethlehem – poor, widowed, childless – I’m sure their plan was to survive. They just wanted to get what they could get from the edges of the harvest fields and hope for the best. But God had other plans.
It may be the same for you today as well. Survive.
You may find yourself in a dire situation at work, in your family, with relationships, even in your marriage…and making it work is the best you can hope for. Do right. Keep your head down. Just get through this.
But God has other plans.
I promise you, there is nothing in God’s Word that should ever leave us thinking that surviving is his will.
God has blessing, abundance, grace, mercy, and more ready for us. Why should we doubt this for our situation today?
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you (Psalm 42)
But we do doubt and we settle and we lose sight of the reality that our God is not just some distant disinterested lower case “g” god…our God, the God we sing to and about, the God we pray to and read about, that God is our God and he’s the creator of the universe. That’s the God we wait for, trust in, hope in.
Some days – most days – your faith in God is best seen as you simply wait.
Like Ruth at the feet of Boaz, her soon-to-be redeemer, our best times are when we have risen from the feet of our Redeemer, laid out our hopes and expectations and just wait. Hands-off. No meddling. In fact, one of my favorite reminders of this is probably a verse you’re familiar with. It’s from Psalm chapter 46 which begins with the truth of who God is and ends with our best advice:
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble… Be still, and know that I am God.
The phrase translated “be still” literally means “let go.”
In this moment, having risen from the feet of her redeemer, Ruth hears Naomi’s instructions to be still and then a reminder that Boaz will not be “resting until the matter is settled.” This is a reminder to us of exactly what God is doing on our behalf.
Just like Boaz would not rest until the matter was settled for Ruth, our God is active on our behalf. Let God be the busy one. For now, maybe it’s time that you, girl, wait.
Rise from your prayers, stand on His promises, and wait on God.
Listen to the full message from Ruth and be encouraged. Join the Dwelling Richly Bible study, “Faithful and Fearless.”
You can download the current and archived bible studies here on the blog
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