Ruth

READY 

“‘…Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel’…A son has been born to Naomi, and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” Ruth 4:14;17 NLT

SET 

Some people love puzzles and some people hate them. During a recent family vacation, my mom and I developed a love-hate relationship for puzzles as we spent hours figuring out which piece fits where. Although it took a lot of time to put the puzzles together, we always had the pictures on the boxes to guide us and give us an idea of what they should look like.

Sometimes it’s difficult for us to make sense of God’s plan. That’s because we don’t see it from His side. When we’re in the middle of something, we usually can’t see the whole picture. All we see if a bunch of random puzzle pieces that don’t look like they fit together.

In sports, every season brings new challenges to overcome – your teammates fighting with each other, being injured, or losing your starting spot. It can make you feel sad and worried. Sometimes though, when you look back at the end of the season, you can see God’s hand at work and how he put all the puzzle pieces together perfectly to tell His story.

In the book of Ruth, the Lord puts all the puzzle pieces together in a way that shows His faithfulness to His undeserving people. Ruth shows how to be obedient and faithful despite not knowing or understanding God’s plan. She was faithful to Naomi during a very difficult time, and this decision to stay with Naomi was so important because it was a decision to follow the God of Israel. At the time, Ruth didn’t know that God would choose to weave her into His Kingly line and make her an ancestor of David and the Messiah.

The story of Ruth shows us there are no unimportant people in God’s plan. Although life may look messy and confusing at times, from God’s view, He is working to establish His kingdom. He takes what appears to be loose or broken puzzle pieces and reveals how He was creating something beautiful the whole time.

GO 

1. What are some things you’ve dealt with on your team that have been difficult?
2. What is something you’re dealing with right now that is difficult?
3. Like Ruth, how can you be obedient and faithful through that difficult situation without knowing the outcome?

WORKOUT 

• Jeremiah 29:11
• Psalm 37:5

OVERTIME 

“God, thank You for working in our lives even when we don’t see You. Help me to be patient in difficult situations and act in obedience and faithfulness. Amen.”

Kallie Muck