A set-up from the Lord. Daily Devotional, August 9, 2010

Daily Bible reading: Ruth 2, Acts 27, Jeremiah 37, Luke 6


Ruth had many things going against her.

She was a woman - women were seen as inferior at that time.

She was a widow - widows were taken advantage of and ignored. There was almost nothing worse than being a widow during the time of Ruth. Many times they were left unprotected from rape or sexual harassment.

She was poor - she was left without any inheritance, scraping from the leftovers of the fields of others. These people were treated unfairly.

She was a Moabite - friendly relations with the Moabites were discouraged (they were not allowed to worship at the tabernacle because they had not let the Israelites pass through their land during the Exodus from Egypt).

Ruth had every reason to stay in the comfort zone of Moab but instead she traveled to the place where she would be considered a nobody. She knew that it was her mother in law Naomi that she was to cling to. She followed her and served her, even though it meant giving up every ounce of dignity she had. In choosing to do this, she also gave up every dream she had.

In modern day terms, she would have been like the tattered woman receiving her food from the garbage can of the Trump Towers. Mr. Trump comes out (let’s pretend he is godly, hansome, unmarried and sans funky toupee, okay?) and begins to show her favor. He provides her with food, water and protection from accusers. He eventually asks her to marry him. In an instant the beggar widow goes from the bottom to the top!

It doesn’t sound like a fun place to be -- the lowest of the lows. Yet, it was exactly where God wanted her. He was positioning her for a blessing that was beyond anything she could have imagined. He had a godly husband, wealth, and a redeemed reputation waiting for her at those fields she was gleaning from.

My friend had a dream that she was serving at someone’s wedding. She kept serving and serving and waiting for the bride to arrive. She grew angry wondering when the bride was going to show up--after all, she was doing all this work for her! Soon enough, she realized that she was the bride all along.

So it is with our dream. You think your serving someone else’s dream…your giving, your serving and your faithful. You might feel like Ruth, you have no status, title or respect. What you don’t realize is that it is a set-up from the Lord. In the process of serving the dreams of others, God will release you into yours.

Be encouraged today! The Lord has positioned you for a blessing!
Mel Miller