Ruth 1:6-7
Then Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had blessed
his people in Judah by giving them good crops again.
So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave
Moab to return to her homeland (Ruth 1:6-7, NLT).

One of the challenges we face on regular basis is learning to retrace our steps when we have made mistakes. Some of us are unwilling to go back because we are afraid or ashamed of what people  will say. Others do not know how to retrace their steps because they are in despair and have given up on the hope of recovery or restoration.

Yet this is not what we see in the passage that we read. It appears that Naomi kept her hope that one day the Lord would visit her people again. That was why she returned immediately as soon as she heard that the Lord had visited His people.

Friend, how willing are you to retrace your steps after a major failure? Do you just give up hope or do you continue to move on knowing you are heading in the wrong direction? You see, I believe it takes great faith and humility to return to God and say we have messed up and ask Him to help us. That is what David did in Psalm 51 and God heard him and restored him.

Pause and think about your life and the mistakes you may have made. Do not allow shame to keep you away from retracing your steps if you have to. Make this year, the year that you will return to God and ask Him to reshape and rebuild your life.

Your Turn

• Are there areas of your life that you know things are not going well and you need the Lord to visit you?
• Talk to God about the situation and ask Him for wisdom for the next steps that you need to take.

Song: He leadeth me, He leadeth me.

Reading through the New Testament: Acts 20