Monday, March 1: Ruth 4-live faithfully and trust in God

   Ruth is one of those happily-ever-after stories. In the end after hardship, pain and perseverance, by Ruth and Naomi, things work out for the best.

With the last line, we discover why God was so interested in preserving the story of the tragedy and triumph of one obscure woman from Moab.  She is Ruth, is the great-grandmother of David, the most famous King of Israel.

Yes, God has been at work, behind the scenes and underneath the surface, preserving His plan of salvation.

I started thinking… about the Lord. He was working His will through it all. During the dark days in Moab and the tough times following the return to Israel, no one in the story understood God was at work. They were simple people, keeping faith in the Lord, trying to survive. Living honorably, working hard, and eking out their survival, barely. Only from the end can we see God’s hand in the whole adventure.

Life is like that. We are to live faithfully, come what may, and allow God to work His will, whatever that may be, behind the scenes and underneath the surface, until He makes things clear. Another thing I realized, there are no happily-ever-after guarantees. Yes, Naomi holds a surrogate son. Did she live long after that?  I don’t know. She was certainly old by then and no  one would see her life as a ‘blessed life.’ What she did was live faithfully all the days of her life. However, from God’s vantage point, she was strategic in the arrival of David, revered King of Israel.

The moral and my message from the Lord: live faithfully and trust in the Lord.

O, Lord, allow me to do just that… live faithfully today, this week, this month… my life. Give me strength and courage to make righteous decisions about my time, my wealth, my entertainment and the use of my gifts. Help me to stay close to You, to constantly listen for Your voice and leading and to follow wherever You lead. And in the end may You receive honor and glory through the way I live and the things I do as I follow and worship You. In Jesus’ name, amen.