When You Feel Insecure or Uncertain

“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.'” Ruth 1:16 (NIV)

It had only been a week since I moved to a different city where I didn’t know anyone. A new co-worker had invited me to her friend’s house for a party. I was thankful for the invitation but simultaneously felt nervous.

The bubbles in my stomach got progressively worse the entire way there as I followed my GPS and silently questioned my choice of outfit. When I arrived at the unfamiliar house and timidly walked through the front door, my mind filled with questions:

Would these become the people I called my friends? Would they like me?

Walking into a party full of people I didn’t know is a small example of a bigger fear lying underneath, in the deeper places in my heart that were full of unknowns, unanswered prayers, uncertain outcomes and unending time of waiting.

Will God be faithful to me in this new season?

Moving scared me, and leaving behind a life I loved for one I knew nothing about made me feel vulnerable. Vulnerability exposes how we are hiding, but it also exposes us to hard things we’ve been hiding from. In this case, it showed what I really put my trust in … and it wasn’t always God.

Maybe you’re in a place that has made you question God’s faithfulness toward you. Whether in a specific circumstance we are facing or across years of wondering where God is and what He is doing, it can be easy to cling to whatever is around us to make us feel safe and steady. When those things are no longer there, where do we turn?

This is why I admire Ruth so much. When she spoke the words of today’s key verse to her mother-in-law, Naomi, Ruth chose to leave behind her entire life and everything familiar to her:

“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Ruth left her people and home to follow Naomi and a God she barely knew. And the place she moved to did not typically welcome Moabites like her, as they were considered enemies of God’s people.

But she trusted God’s faithfulness without knowing what the outcome would be. How did she do it?

1. She committed to go and stay where God called her. Regardless of whether or not she would be accepted, she decided to believe God would be with her. She didn’t wait for Him to show up in a huge way; she simply followed where she thought He was leading.

2. She chose to cling to God as her God. When it would have been easier to follow after the false gods and life she knew in Moab, she placed her identity in God. Regardless of what was ahead of her, she trusted Him.

Like Ruth, we have a choice: to cling to what is comfortable and familiar for our security or to trust God. We can look to His Word and His character, which have proven He is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do. Not just for Ruth but for you and me too.

When we feel insecure, God’s promises are sure. When we feel uncertain, God’s faithfulness remains.

When you look back at your life, where do you see glimpses of God’s faithfulness? They may not be big, extravagant instances, but if you are alive and reading this today, it’s proof God has been faithful in His pursuit of you.

The ultimate proof of God’s faithfulness is in Jesus. The same Jesus who was born through the lineage of Ruth’s family is going to make all things new in this world. (Revelation 21:5)

When you find yourself insecure and uncertain, remember: God is faithful, and we can cling to Him.

Father, on the days I feel insecure and uncertain about the future, remind me of Your faithfulness. You have gone before me. You are striding ahead of me. You are right here with me. You will not leave me. You won’t let me down. You will not forsake me. I won’t be intimidated. I won’t be discouraged or dismayed. I will choose not to worry because I can put my trust in You. Thank You for Your faithfulness and lovingkindness not to leave me empty. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The book of Ruth has it all: tragedy, a love story, adversity and a happy ending. It's like your favorite novel or movie. But perhaps the most striking aspect of the book of Ruth is how very human it is. It's the story of ordinary people who faced unavoidable struggles, not much different than all of us. In their most trying moments, they couldn’t see God working behind the scenes. But as we read their story in this study, we'll see He was there all along — and the same is true for us today. Get our new study guide, Ruth: Finding God Faithful When You Feel Insecure and Uncertain, and study with us starting March 6 in the First 5 mobile app!

*The devotion was originally posts on Proverbs 31 Ministries Encouragement for Today.