Is There Any Hope?

This Sunday, I plan to begin a short (three week) series of messages on the book of Ruth. It's a small, often-overlooked book that contains a fantastic story. One reason I think it's appropriate for us in these uncertain times is that Ruth's story is so familiar. She is struggling with grief, poverty and insecurity, yet God does not speak in an audible voice (If you have a Red-Letter Bible, note the lack of red letters in Ruth), nor does He perform any spectacular miracles. Ruth, a recent convert to the worship of Yahweh, has to trust in God step-by-step, only seeing His hand in retrospect.

Does that sound familiar? Most of us have never heard the audible voice of God. Miracles do happen, but they're rare (as one preacher said, they're rare by definition. If they weren't, we'd call them "ordinaries."). We, like Ruth, have to trust God step-by-step. We don't know exactly where He's leading, or what He has planned, or how all of the scary stuff we're going through can ever be part of something good...but if we stick with God, we'll see what He was doing on the other side. That's what Ruth teaches us. I hope you'll be there for all three messages. Invite someone you know who has been struggling.