Sound familiar? What would happen if Monday mornings weren’t like that? What if we treated every morning as what it is: a gift from God? What do you expect every day when you get up, when you go to work or school, and when you interact with those around you? Do you expect great things, or do you expect the ordinary and mediocre? Do you have faith that even if the day is horrible, God is still good and in control?

The story of Ruth is too often overlooked as carnal or unimportant. But if we take a closer look at Ruth’s life, we see that Ruth was not an average woman. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, was an Israelite widow. Her sons had taken Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth, but ten years later these women were widowed as well. Naomi began the journey to her home country with Orpah and Ruth, but she reasoned with her daughters-in-law to return to the houses of their mothers and find husbands again. Orpah was convinced to return home, but the Bible says Ruth “clave unto [Naomi].”

“And she said, Behold, they sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:”  – Ruth 1:15-16

The remaining chapters of Ruth show that she was obedient to all of Naomi’s instructions. She went out and worked to provide for Naomi and herself. It would have been easy for Ruth just to go home to her house where she would have been treated well, but she stayed with Naomi. Even in the midst of adversity, Ruth expected great things of the Lord. She had no reason to stay with Naomi after the death of her husband. She had no reason to go to a new land where she would not be honored as a foreigner. Ruth didn’t have much; she could have whined and complained about the responsibility. But she expected great things of God. She continued to press through, to work diligently, and to remain obedient and respectful to Naomi. Webster’s dictionary defines expectant as: “being marked with expectation.” All who saw her knew that she was a “virtuous woman.” Ruth did more than just act the part. She was identified as a virtuous woman.

“And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose,”  – Romans 8:28

Sometimes it is hard to remain optimistic in hard times, or to stand up for yourself when people question your faith. But if you pray for faith, God will not only give you faith, but also the opportunity to exercise it. One way to do that is to expect great things of God. That doesn’t mean that everything will happen the way we think it should; Ruth must have been devastated when she lost her husband, but God had a greater plan. Later in the book, she marries a man named Boaz, a kinsman of Naomi’s family, and eventually carries the line of David and Jesus. If she hadn’t trusted in God, she wouldn’t have married Boaz or been the great-grandmother of King David. If you think about your life, do you waste your energy worrying about things you can’t control, or do you use that effort believing that God can pull through?

God is ready to do great things in all of our lives. Do you believe and expect that He will?

That famous phrase can be used in almost any form of competition, from the World Series to a Scrabble tournament, from a heavyweight fight to the final scene of a drama. The thrill of the odds-defying comeback story has probably enchanted everyone at some time.

But I want to talk about something even more significant than a story line or the encouragement of a coach or a Yogi Berra quote.  I’m talking about dreams that have died. About promises that have not yet visibly produced and ideas and thoughts you had that now seem impossible. I’m talking about the healthy relationships you desired or the realization you aspired to.

Think about the things that have been buried deep inside you: the promises, giftings, callings, and abilities; the words of hope and love you once longed to feel. You may have even forgotten them. Maybe you’ve just given up. You don’t want to be disappointed again, so it’s easier just not to hope.

But it ain’t over till it’s over.

Let me tell you about a woman named Rahab who lived in the city of Jericho.  She was not the local success story; in fact, she was a harlot. There were probably other things she would have preferred to do for a living, but for whatever reasons she was stuck being who she had become.  Maybe she had longed to be a respected woman.  But now she was trapped in Jericho, a city doomed for destruction.

The Israelites were marching toward her home. She knew the power of the God of the Israel: His mighty acts of protection and provision and how He had delivered opposing armies into their hands. It must have been an awful feeling. The thought, “my life is a wreck and now all hope is gone,” must have crossed her mind at some point.

It seemed like the end of the book. To Rahab’s joy, it was really the beginning of a new chapter: God gave Rahab and her family another chance. That’s exactly what God wants do for anyone who has dreamed and whose dream has died. Things may seem to be getting worse and worse, just like Rahab’s situation in Jericho. Everything she had known and everything she was used to was crumbling around her. But through this shake-up, God was making a way for her to escape the dream-killing, aspiration-quenching place she had been stuck in.

What seems like shaking and up-heaving and un-surety might just be God liberating you to believe again. Maybe the hopelessness around you is God tearing down the walls that have confine you. Let Him breathe life into dreams the giver of all good gifts has given you. Hope again, believe again, trust God again.  And remember . . . it ain’t over till it’s over, baby!

Has God restored some dreams in your life? Or are you in the middle of a shakedown? Visit the comments section for this article and remind someone that it’s not over yet!