Pastor Stephen Dedman

Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬

Question
Have you ever felt hopeless because of a sin in the past or because you didn’t feel accepted?

Context
Matthew 1 may seem like a long list of hard to pronounce names, but hidden in the genealogy of Jesus is a breathtaking picture of God’s perfect plan of using imperfect people. Matthew 1:5 lists two people in the lineage of the Messiah that some would count unqualified. Rehab was a prostitute from Jericho and Ruth was a foreigner from Moab. These two women, one with a shameful past and one from a distant nation, were used by God to bring into this world our Lord and Savior.

Application
This verse reminds us that God can and will use people with a broken past and a painful journey. God does not choose people because of where they come from; He chooses people because of where His grace can take them. Your past does not determine your future, God does. God uses broken stories to build beautiful outcomes. Never disqualify yourself because throughout the Bible God used unlikely people.

Truth For The Day
Your past doesn’t cancel your purpose.

Pray
Lord, thank You for showing Your grace through Rahab and Ruth. Redeem my past, strengthen my faith, and use my life for Your glory just as You used theirs. Let the story of Jesus’ family remind me that You bring hope out of brokenness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭14‬

Question
What is one area of your life where God is asking you to trust His timing instead of your own?

Context
David wrote Psalm 27 while surrounded by difficulty, pressure, and enemies. Yet his confidence wasn’t in what he could fix or control. His confidence was in a God who never hurries and never fails. When David says, “Wait for the LORD,” he isn’t talking about sitting by quietly. He’s talking about active trust, the kind that keeps praying, keeps believing, keeps leaning forward even when nothing seems to move.

Application
One of the most comforting truths in Scripture is that God does His best work in the “in-between.” Abraham waited for a son. Joseph waited in a prison. Israel waited for deliverance. The disciples waited in an upper room. And the world waited for a Savior. Every promise God fulfilled required a season where His people had to trust without seeing.

So if you find yourself in a place of waiting today, waiting for healing, direction, provision, reconciliation, or breakthrough, remember this: God has not forgotten you. Waiting is a sign that God is preparing something worth waiting for.

Truth For The Day
Waiting is not a pause in God’s plan, it is part of God’s plan.

Pray
Lord, teach my heart how to wait with faith. Calm my impatience, quiet my fears, and remind me that Your timing is perfect. Help me to trust that even in delays, You are working all things for my good and Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬

Question
Where do you need the light of Christ to shine this Christmas season?

Context
Isaiah speaks to a people sitting in darkness, feeling the weight of uncertainty, fear, and waiting. And into that darkness, God announces a promise: a great light is coming. The world may have been darkened by sin, despair, and silence, but God was working. Even when His people couldn’t see it, He was preparing a Savior.

Application
Just as He promised a Messiah long before the manger, He promises to be present with us now. Hope is not wishful thinking, it is the confident assurance that God is faithful, that Christ has come, and that He will come again.

Let the light of Christ shine on every dark place in your life of your anxieties, fears, doubts, and uncertainties. Just as God broke the silence with the cry of a newborn King, He breaks into your life today to remind you that His light is stronger than any darkness.

Truth For The Day
Hope is not based on what you see, but on who God is.

Pray
Lord Jesus, as we begin this Advent season, awaken our hearts with hope. Thank You for being the Light that breaks through our darkness. Remind us of Your faithfulness, Your presence, and Your promises. Help us wait with expectation, trust with confidence, and walk in the light of Your love. Shine on us, shine in us, and shine through us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.