Leading The Way - Devotional for December 13
December 13, 2024
God’s Blessings Are Beautiful
By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
Read Ruth 4:1-22.
At the end of Ruth, God’s hand at work can be seen clearly. Ruth has married Boaz, and the couple has had a baby boy: Obed, who became the father of Jesse, the father of King David. Out of Naomi’s grief over the loss of Elimelek and their sons came the royal family line from which our Savior would be born. From the broken pieces of her life came repentance and redemption.
If you know that you are living under the loving hand of the sovereign God, then you will be able to live above the temporary setbacks. You will be able to live without wallowing in regret and wondering what might have been.
With an eternal perspective, you will see the hand of God at work despite the detours and delays you face. And that, my friends, will keep you from sinking into sorrow and becoming bitter. It will keep you out of the muck of self-pity, too. When you remain focused on the God of the impossible, you’ll find unexplainable peace.
Naomi’s perspective on God gave her hope despite shattered dreams. It led her to trust that God’s provision, providence, and promises would pull her through her despair. Naomi’s perspective on the Lord ultimately led her to the joy of holding the grandfather of King David in her arms. Likewise, you can have hope even when the future is unknown as you trust the God who holds the world in His hands, the God who loves you so much that He did not spare even His own Son. Tell yourself the Gospel, and let it lift you up in troubling times.
The story of your life isn’t over yet. God is still at work, redeeming and restoring. One day, you will be able to look back and see all that He has done. There’s no telling how many lives you will touch if you yield yourself completely to the Lord.
Naomi made a decision to repent and return to Bethlehem. Ruth made a choice to stay with her mother-in-law, thereby placing her trust in Yahweh. From those two acts of daring humility, God planted a beautiful family tree from which came Obed, Jesse, King David, and, many, many years later, the Lord Jesus Christ. When God is at work in a person’s life, there’s no limit to what He can do.
Prayer: Lord, there is no limit to what You can do in my life. Help me to remember this Truth—to trust that You are at work to redeem, restore, and renew. May the circumstances I am going through draw others to You as I rest in Your sovereignty. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“The women living there said, ‘Naomi has a son!’ And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David” (Ruth 4:17).
Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef’s sermon A Match Made in Heaven, Part 4: LISTEN NOW | WATCH NOW
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Watch Dr. Michael Youssef on this week's broadcast of Leading The Way at LightSource.com.
