On this Women’s Day, I reflect on two of my favorite Bible characters, Ruth and Esther. Both these women proved their faithfulness to God. To get there, each had to do scary things – go to a foreign land where she only knew her mother-in-law (Ruth) and stand strong for God and His people against a hateful leader (Esther). Those were their big leaps of faith. Yet, first, God raised them up to that point in their relationship with Him.
Ruth married an Israelite and came to know his God for herself. She showed her dedication to her husband’s family and their ways by choosing to return to Israel after her mother-in-law’s, Naomi’s, husband and two sons died. Ruth listened to Naomi’s advice, gleaned grain from a kinsman’s field, and proved her love to her, the Israelites, and Yahweh.
Esther, an orphaned girl raised by her cousin, Mordecai, stayed true to God and His moral laws when the king’s servant chose her to present her before the king as a potential queen. While in that role, she heard of Haman, a leader of the king’s, plotting to annihilate the Hebrew people. Esther sought the counsel of her family elder, Mordecai, and obeyed what God said through him. Eventually, Esther considered herself less important than her people’s lives and asked for an audience with the king. She risked her life and new status with the king to tell him of Haman’s plot.
Both these women faced death, but with their faith in God and their obedience to Him, they stepped out to follow His will for their lives. God walked them through one faith step after another to get them where He wanted them in time and place, and in their faith for these big decisions and stances. They allowed God to prepare them to jump from the high diving board. God does that with each of us still. He grows us gradually for His purposes. We learn we can trust Him in all things. I’m glad God doesn’t give up on us when we choose not to jump from the high diving boards in life. I rejoice that He loves us, has a purpose for us, and is always faithful. What step of growth is God leading you to take today?
