Jesus, Take the Lead

Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi along, without her two sons or her husband. – Ruth 1:3-5

One of the best sermons I ever heard on dating had to do with a study of Ruth. It presented Ruth in a light I’d never heard before – from the perspective of a single Christian male. The sermon stated, “Some of you men have a mental or an actual list of what you’re looking for in a wife. How many of you’d include pagan family, most of her life spent in a cult, homeless, flat broke, pitted out, dirty, with a crazy, angry mother-in-law as a bonus prize?” Flaws. Ruth had plenty of them. I have them. So do you. We’re all wounded and broken, and our lives are far from perfect. We can’t see the next step forward. We think our past keeps us from having God’s best. We wonder how God could ever use us.

That’s certainly how Ruth felt. She was a grieving widow. She was broke, relying on the kindness of strangers just to get a meal. At times, she must have wanted to fall into despair. But she had one thing that trumped all of that: faith. She trust God to direct her life, and she put Him in charge. She let Him take the lead on everything from her finances to her love life. And check out what happens in return for her obedience: after all her grief, Ruth married a man named Boaz and had a son who become a direct ancestor of Just Christ, the Messiah. Who’s to say God can’t use broken people? Let God take the lead in your life, and wait for Him to work His wonders. Lead me Lord, I’m waiting!

Prayer: Where you lead I will follow. Help me take courage in my strengths and give my weaknesses to you. Show me what they are so I can move away from my broken past and into the glory you’ve planned for me. Amen.