God Is Always On Time: December 12, 2024

[00:00:00] You are listening to My Devotional, the daily devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading

[00:00:06] the Way.

[00:00:08] God is Always On Time by Dr. Michael Youssef

[00:00:14] If you recall, Naomi's husband, Imalek, had died.

[00:00:17] So had their two sons, one of whom was Ruth's husband.

[00:00:21] The two widows had lost nearly everything, and yet Naomi still had hope.

[00:00:26] She tasted bitterness, but she knew God would redeem her situation somehow.

[00:00:32] She knew peace and joy would come to her again.

[00:00:35] She believed that the God who permitted her to experience the consequences of her family's

[00:00:41] shortcuts is also the God of second chances.

[00:00:45] That's why she returned home to Bethlehem, Ruth by her side.

[00:00:50] Naomi knew something good had happened when her daughter-in-law brought back much more barley

[00:00:55] than she had expected, so she asked whose field Ruth had gleaned.

[00:00:59] When Naomi heard that it belonged to Boaz and that he had shown kindness to Ruth, she immediately

[00:01:05] knew that this was going to be a match made in heaven, which it literally was.

[00:01:11] Naomi had been expecting God to intervene in her situation, and here was God's hand at work.

[00:01:17] Boaz was a close relative, a kinsman-redeemer.

[00:01:22] In the law, God had provided a way for a family in distress to be redeemed and made whole.

[00:01:28] When someone died without a male heir, the nearest of kin was to redeem not only the property,

[00:01:35] but the person.

[00:01:36] Why?

[00:01:37] Because back then, a widow or fatherless daughter would suffer financial hardship and often wind

[00:01:43] up in slavery.

[00:01:44] To prevent such compounded tragedy, a kinsman-redeemer would step in and act as a trustee to rescue

[00:01:52] the family line.

[00:01:53] We too have a kinsman-redeemer, Jesus Christ.

[00:01:58] But our kinsman-redeemer does more than redeem property and preserve our family tree.

[00:02:03] He redeems us from the penalty of sin, from the oppression of Satan, from the slavery of sin.

[00:02:09] He paid a precious price to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness and bring us into his kingdom

[00:02:16] of light.

[00:02:17] He paid not with money, but with his own precious blood.

[00:02:21] If you're going through a season of doubt or pain right now, wait on the Lord.

[00:02:26] He always keeps his appointments.

[00:02:29] As you wait, cling to Jesus.

[00:02:32] He is with you.

[00:02:33] He loves you.

[00:02:34] And he has redeemed you for his glorious eternity with him.

[00:02:39] Let's pray together.

[00:02:40] Father, thank you for providing us with the ultimate kinsman-redeemer in Jesus Christ.

[00:02:46] We will trust in your timing because you love and care for us, and it's so clear.

[00:02:53] Help us to persevere with joy when things are tough.

[00:02:58] We pray this in the name of Jesus.

[00:03:00] Amen.

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