God's Work In Ordinary Lives


"In the days when the judges ruled." Ruth 1:1.
Have you ever read Judges? How about a quick refresher?
In the days when the Judges ruled,
...unlikely heroes were raised up to conquer the enemy. People like Ehud, the lefty. Being left handed was thought of as a defect in his day. People like Deborah. No one would have thought a woman could lead an army into battle in this day. People like Gideon, who described himself as the least of his tribe.
In the days when the Judges ruled,
...miracles and miraculous powers were given to people. Samson would know supernatural strength, and lift a city's gates. He would defeat an army with a donkey's jawbone as a weapon. An entire army would be thrown into disarray and defeat itself when some lamps broke and horns blew in Gideon's day. His tiny army of 300 would defeat thousands through the supernatural power of God.
In the days when the Judges ruled,
...signs and wonders occurred. A sheep's fleece was laid out at night and the morning dew touched everything except the fleece. The following night the opposite occurred. Only the fleece was found wet and the ground dry.
There's a lot more in Judges as well. Amazing, supernatural, incredible, unexplainable things are in Judges. 
But the verse up top isn't from Judges, it's from Ruth. We're told when Ruth's life occurred to draw a contrast. Reading through Ruth reveals lives that aren't anything like the Judges. Everyone just goes to work and takes care of their families. Tragedies occur, people keep loving each other, and although it's tough they stick together and things work out.
Ever look at other people's lives and see miracles and the supernatural, and wonder what's going on in your own life? God works in everyone's life uniquely. He was just as involved in Ruth's life as He was in the Judges. It was just in an a more ordinary way.
He's at work in your life as well. Even if your life is primarily comprised of going to work, getting the kids to school, and taking care of your family. Hey, if that's your life, and you had lived a long time ago, there just might be a book of the Bible named after you.

Following The Son,

James A Williams

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