What do you do when there ‘seems’ to be no answer from the Lord in your current situation? Would you still remain committed to God? Would you still have a level of trust in the Lord without any bitterness against Him? In this passage, we see three characters from the book of Ruth, who respond very differently to God’s providence in their lives. Their responses teach us what genuine commitment to God looks like.
God abundantly blesses those who seek to live obedient lives. Obedient living does not allow for “accidents” in God’s plan. He orchestrates events in our lives to bring us to Himself, even through our misery and hopelessness. In the book of Ruth, we see Him working out His perfect plan in Ruth’s life, just as He does with all His children.
The God of the Bible is a promise keeping God, therefore our hope shouldn’t be dependent on our ability to manage life, or our distorted commitment to God, but on His faithful and unending commitment to us.
As human beings, we all experience stress, anxiety, fear and worry. This is also a reminder that we cannot control everything in our lives. This reveals our limitation, but also should point us to the God of the Bible. In this passage, we learn through the trials of David, how to handle stress in a way God commands.
If depression is prevalent in the world at large, it is even more so in the church. Depression is a common struggle Christians experience because of their own failure to grapple with the situation in life, and also their limitation or inability in controlling the outcomes which they never expected or wanted to avoid at all cost. In this passage, we learn the characteristics, causes, and the cure for depression, as we see David battling with it.
“Not only does the Lord through forgiveness of sins receive and adopt us once for all into the church, but through the same means he preserves and protects us there. For what would be the point of providing a pardon for us that was destined to be of no use? . . . We must firmly believe that by God’s generosity, mediated by Christ’s merit, through the sanctification of the Spirit, sins have been and are daily pardoned to us who have been received and engrafted into the body of the church.”
These are the words by John Calvin, a much needed reminder on God’s protection over His bride, the Church.
Christian life is about learning to trust God simply because of His unfailing love towards us as His children, and also for God’s faithfulness in keeping promises throughout history. The reason why trusting and believing in God is essential for us to persevere in faith is because we’re incapable of handling circumstances and uncertainties in life by our own strength and wisdom. This passage shows us how we’re called to keep believing in God’s promises especially when the situation might appear unfavorable.
Only Christianity as a religion teaches that God works out all things according to His will (Eph. 1:11) showing us that everything has a purpose and that all events occur according to the eternal plan of God. He ordains both the elect and a reprobate’s destiny. The doctrine of Providence also teaches that God is working out every detail of our lives such that He preserves, protects and sustains us in the path of righteousness forever…
In our culture, Christianity is often presented as a religion of supernatural healing (from diseases, chronic illnesses) and miracles (prosperity, prevention of death, dreams and visions, tongues). It is also seen as religion of prophecy about the end times. All of these gifts are seen as the necessary manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. In this passage, we learn how the ministry of the Holy Spirit is not mainly about tongues, prophecy and supernatural healings, but of Spiritual transformation in our lives through the ordinary means which God appointed.
Elisabeth Elliot on suffering once said ― “Whatever is in the cup that God is offering to me, whether it be pain and sorrow and suffering and grief along with the many more joys, I’m willing to take it because I trust Him.” This needs to be the response of every Christian in times of suffering, because hardships are inevitable in this life. In this passage, we learn how suffering should enable us to trust in God, an expression of our humility and dependency on Him alone.