Anxious & Bitter, Yet...

Introduction:

· When you hit rock bottom, and God hands you a pickax and tells you to keep digging

· Where is God – and what is he doing?

LET’S LOOK AT WHAT THIS STORY SHOWS US ABOUT OUR VULNERABILITY, ABOUT HOW GOD PROVIDES FOR OUR NEEDS, AND HOW GOD MEETS OUR GRETAER NEED

I) Our Vulnerability

A. Worry:We become anxious about our future

i. Two Vulnerable women face the worries of an uncertain future

1. A story that begins in fullness & future nosedives into loss & despair

2. A “Moabite” working in a stranger’s field seeking food (vv. 9, 13, 22)

ii. Many of us find ourselves in situations where we worry:

1. What do you worry about? Finances? Children? Health?

2. Worry is a fear that God won’t get it right

B. Bitterness:Our pain & Disappointment harden into bitterness at God

i. Naomi represents the bitterness

1. Naomi lost (nearly) all, believes it’s too late for her story to be rewritten

2. She renames herself bitter because in her eyes, God got it wrong

ii. Bitterness is a sense that God has gotten our situation wrong

1. We too may question: God’s timing? His Plan? Answers to prayer?

2. Deep down, we believe God did the wrong thing: pain/angeràBitter!

THAT BRINGS US BACK TO OUR QUESTION: WHERE IS GOD WHEN WE HIT ROCK BOTTOM, AND IT SEEMS GOD WILL HAVE US KEEP DIGGING?

II) God Provides More Than We Ask Or Imagine

A. God’s Providence Is His Unseen Hand Behind the Scenes

i. As it happened to happen… (vv. 1, 3)

1. The story is anchored in God’s Providential Care – even if unseen!

2. We speak of chance, coincidence but scripture knows no such thing

3. EXAMPLE: the smallest details of our life unfold under God’s care!

ii. There are no coincidences in God’s economy

1. We may wish God reveal His plan, purpose

2. But God says “trust me!” Through this choice of fieldàSalvation!

B. God’s Providence Supplies ALL Our Needs in Abundance

i. The Laws of Gleaning Provided for God’s people (vs. 15, Deut. 24:19)

1. God’s Gleaning Laws reflect his care for the poor

2. APPLICATION: God Desires we care for the “outcasts” among us

ii. God provides an abundance for His children (vv. 8-9, 14, 17-18)

1. From protection from danger, to food/drink, to long-term provision

2. APPLICATION: Recognizing God’s care for our needs changes our hearts (vs. 20)

YOU MIGHT THINK THAT THIS IS A “HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER” MOMENT…BUT IT’S NOT.

III) God Provides the Redeemer That We Truly Need

A. God’s Providence is Hinting at a Greater Gift

i. Unmet Needs: (vs. 23)

1. Ruth still had no future: Living with Her MIL

2. Though God had provided for material needs, their needs were greater

ii. The Promise of A Redeemer (vs. 20b)

1. A Kinsman redeemer paid a hefty price to provide a future for the family

2. ADVENT: We too have a greater need that meets in the redeemer!

B. God’s Providence Points us to the Global Mission of Our Redeemer

i. Jesus provides for our Greater need:

1. Jesus came “to give his life as a ransom for many”

2. Jesus came so that we might sit at the table with him (c.f. vs. 14)

ii. Jesus draws the nations and neighbors to Himself

1. The end of Harvest: Pentecost! Thanksgiving to God for the harvest

2. In Time: The Holy Spirit would be poured out at Pentecost so the nations would be drawn to worship Jesus

Transition:

Conclusion

Jesus, the Savior of the Nations!