Day Twenty One – Written by Pastor Carl Stephens
Biblical Example: Ruth (Ruth 1-3)
Prayer Focus: Pandemic (Cure)
The story of Ruth is a true, romantic story of a woman who left her past, her family, and her country and culture to say, “I’m all in.” She was “all in” to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi, into an unknown future.
Today marks the last day of our 21 days of prayer and fasting. We, like Ruth, stand facing an unknown future—as far as our lives here on earth are concerned. Our internal joy is in knowing Heaven is our ultimate destination. Ruth left a past that included a lot of pain and loss. Her husband died, followed by her brother-in-law. It must have seemed, at that moment, that happiness had slipped away with little hope of returning.
Naomi took Orpah and Ruth, who had been married to her two sons, and headed back home to Israel. After encouraging them both to return to their home in Moab, only Orpah decided to return.
Ruth declared to Naomi the now-famous words, “For wherever you go, I will go. Your people shall be my people and your God my God.” Ruth declared to Naomi her unfailing love for her and for her God.
God, hearing that declaration, set events in motion to bring Ruth into a place of blessing that would surpass anything she could have imagined. She would then marry a man of wealth and have a child that would be in the lineage of Christ. All the past hurts, the great losses she suffered, were turned around when she purposed to serve the God of Israel.
Maybe, like Ruth, your past includes a lot of hurt, pain, and loss. Maybe it all happened before 2020. For many of you, last year was the most difficult year of your life. Regardless of our past, God has a future for each of us.
“ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11
Why would we NOT all say, “OK. I’m in,” to the God who is already making plans for our future?
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