November 10, 2026: Scripture Readings: Law: Exodus 11–12 • History: Ruth 2–3 • Poetry/Wisdom: Psalms 55–57 • Prophets: Isaiah 47–49 • Gospels/Acts/Hebrews: Luke 17–18 • Letters: Philippians 4–Colossians 1
Waiting is hard, especially when I’ve done all I know to do and still don’t have an answer. I want to know what happens next. These readings make me think: Can I rest in the Redeemer’s care while I wait?
Key Thought
We don’t have to know how everything will turn out before we can trust our Redeemer. He’s already brought us close. We can count on His faithfulness while we wait.
Seeing the Story
There’s a moment near the end of Ruth 3 that catches my attention. Ruth asks Boaz to be her redeemer, then returns to Naomi. She’s taken a difficult step, but she can’t settle everything herself. Naomi tells her to wait. Boaz will take care of the next part.
For a while, Ruth lives between asking and knowing the answer.
I know what that feels like.
Something in the previous chapter helps me understand her trust. Boaz prayed that Ruth would find shelter under the wings of Israel’s God (Ruth 2:12). Later, at the threshing floor, she asked him to cover her with his garment because he was a family redeemer (3:9). The Hebrew word for “garment” can also mean “wing.” It’s as though she’s asking, “Will you be the one to offer the shelter you prayed God would give me?”
God’s care came through someone willing to act faithfully, even when that meant making a sacrifice.
In Exodus 11–12, God’s care looks different. Judgment is coming to Egypt, but God gives Israel a way to find safety. A lamb is killed, and its blood is put on the doorways. The people follow God’s instructions and trust His promise to shelter them.
Before they’ve even left slavery, God is already making a way for them to be free.
David knows what it’s like to need shelter too. In Psalms 55–57, he faces betrayal, fear, and danger. He wants to get away from it all. But even as he cries out, he brings his worries to God. He takes refuge under God’s wings until the trouble passes.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings (garments) I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by. Psalms 57:1
Being sheltered doesn’t mean the danger isn’t real. It means the danger doesn’t get the last word.
Isaiah speaks to people who feel forgotten. Babylon’s pride will come to an end, and God will confront His people’s stubbornness. But He isn’t giving up on His plan to save them. His servant’s work will reach beyond Israel to all nations. When Zion wonders whether God has forgotten her, He answers with the tenderness of a mother’s love. His people are engraved on His hands (Isaiah 49:14–16).
Then Colossians 1 helps us see who our Redeemer is.
Jesus shows us what God is like. He made everything, and He holds it all together. Yet He came into our world and made peace through His death on the cross. In Him, we have redemption and forgiveness. Through Him, we’re brought out of darkness and into His kingdom.
The story takes us from blood on the doorways, to a family redeemer’s kindness, to the Son who gives Himself to bring us home.
Luke 17–18 shows us how to welcome Him. A tax collector simply asks for mercy. Children come with nothing to offer. A blind beggar keeps calling out to Jesus, even when others tell him to be quiet. But a rich ruler struggles to let go of what makes him feel secure.
Grace meets us when we have nothing to offer. Still, letting go can be the hardest part.
For Today
I’ve noticed that it’s easier for me to trust God with things I know I can’t control. It’s harder when I still think I can handle them myself.
If there’s one more conversation to have, one more explanation to give, or one more thing to try, I start thinking peace is just one more effort away. I pray, but I’m still trying to get the answer I want.
That gets tiring. Even when I stop, my mind keeps going. I replay conversations and wonder what else I could do.
Ruth’s story makes me pause. She worked, listened to advice, and made her request. Then she had to leave the next step to someone else.
I need help recognizing that moment in my own life. Have I done what I can? Is it time to let go?
Trusting God doesn’t let me off the hook. I still need to have the hard conversation, offer the apology, or do what’s right. But some things are beyond me. I can’t make someone understand. I can’t force a relationship to heal. And I can’t make tomorrow’s answers show up today.
Philippians 4 speaks right into that restlessness. Paul tells us to bring our requests to God with thanksgiving. God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, even while things are still unsettled.
I need that reminder. I can rest in the Savior’s care before everything makes sense.
When I don’t know how things will turn out, I can hold on to this: “This I know, that God is for me.” (Psalms 56:9)
Colossians gives that confidence a foundation. The One who holds everything together has brought me back to God through His death. At the cross, I can see His care for me.
So today, I want to tell God what’s bothering me. I want to do what I know is right and leave the outcome with Him. When worry returns, I can bring it to Him again.
What I can’t fix, I can entrust to my faithful Redeemer.
Something to Think About
What outcome am I trying to control instead of trusting God with it?
What’s the next right thing I can do today? How can I leave the result with God?
While I’m waiting for an answer, what would help me rest in God’s care rather than hurry things along?
Prayer
Father, You know how easily I start praying, then try to work out the answer myself. Help me do what You’re asking and let go of what I can’t control. Thank You for giving me a safe place in Jesus. He gave His life to bring me close to You. When I worry about what comes next, remind me that You haven’t forgotten me. I’m loved, and I’m in Your care. Give me Your peace as I wait. Amen.
Closing Thought
I don’t know how things will turn out, but I know my Redeemer. God is for me, and I can leave the outcome in His hands.
~Ebenezer Wayfarer
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