God Is Working On Your Behalf

God Is Working on Your Behalf

Samantha Evilsizer

An ultimatum from my boss forced me into unemployment. She asked me to lead an initiative that went against God’s Word. Fears clamored. I had no husband, no savings, no additional source of provision. I pleaded with God to intervene, to change my boss’s mind. But it didn’t happen. She made her decision, which solidified mine: I quit.

My mind raced: would I be able to pay rent, find a new job, hold onto hope? My financial, spiritual, and emotional accounts were depleted, and I couldn’t see beyond my dreary situation.

God nudged me to send my resume to a ministry I knew rarely hired. I doubted they’d accept my application, and pushed aside the thought to apply. If only I’d lifted my eyes away from the unbelief, I might’ve realized God was working on my behalf, much like He did for Naomi.

You see, at the same time soil churned, seeds nestled underground, and crops waved in the wind, Naomi needed God to intervene. She lamented to her widowed daughter-in-law Ruth: “Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons—would you wait until they grew up?” (Ruth 1:12–13). Destitution —real and perceived—left her desperate. Can you feel it in this widow’s words?

It would take time for Naomi to look beyond her dire circumstances and see divine intervention. God’s redemption involved Ruth, the very person Naomi tried to dissuade from following her. Yet she was so engulfed by her emotions and circumstances, Naomi couldn’t fathom how God would provide. “Call me not Naomi [pleasant]; call me Mara [bitter], for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20 AMP).

Perhaps your situation is bitter. You can’t see how God is working. You don’t have the energy to apply for one more job, so you turn down that lead. Your marriage is on the verge of collapse anyhow, so you cancel your counseling appointment. Life is bleak, so you withdraw rather than join friends for dinner.

If you are destitute financially, emotionally, spiritually, don’t miss this: “So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning” (Ruth 1:22).

Naomi’s journey was hard and long. Yet she had to take a first step. When she arrived at her place of redemption, the harvest was beginning—a harvest that was gleaned by Ruth, the very person she’d pushed away. In that field, Ruth caught Boaz’s attention. He ultimately provided for Ruth and Naomi for the rest of their lives.

Well before I turned in my two-week notice, the Lord tilled the heart of the director at that ministry I had initially disregarded. The director had created a new position and I was hired to fill it. Looking back, I wish I’d looked first for God’s faithfulness instead of torturing myself with worry.

Though unseen, God is divinely intervening. If you’re walking through a desperate place, look to the Lord instead of your circumstances. He’s working on your behalf.

Dear Lord, I give up fear, doubt, and unbelief for hope, trust, and joy as I focus on You, not my circumstances. Thank You for working on my behalf. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

REMEMBER

Even in the most desperate places, God is there, working on your behalf.

REFLECT

What specific aspects of Naomi and Ruth’s story comfort you? How can you put the hope from how God rescued them into practice in your life today?

RESPOND

Fill in the blanks: Today I will trust and believe God for _______, because He is ________ and ________.

POWER VERSES

Psalm 66:5; Isaiah 25:9