Lessons From Ruth: Faith in the Midst of Suffering

When you read the little Old Testament Book of Ruth, you find a treasure trove of reminders of God’s sovereignty and goodness – especially in the midst of suffering.

Ruth, a foreigner, showed amazing faith and trust in the God of Israel, in the midst of her own personal struggles and tragedy… (the death of her father-in-law, her spouse, and certain poverty).

But here’s one lesson we learn from Ruth: Suffering fertilizes our faith.

Tragedy caused Ruth to trust God in a way she never would have before. Tragedy can either cause our faith to grow, or cause us to be bitter.

When my wife and I first got married, we planted some little azalea bushes in the front yard. One day, while we were at work, my dad came over to fertilize our lawn. In the process, he scattered the ferilizer pellets on our new bushes, which eventually killed them. What was meant to bring grown, misapplied, brought death.

Just like that fertilizer, suffering will either grow our faith, or diminish it. And that depends on what we believe about God.

Rom. 5:3-4 “…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…”

Suffering well means learning to trust God in our suffering. Rejoice because God is at work in your circumstances to grow your faith, to strengthen you, to produce endurance and character and hope, all for His glory AND for our good.

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Am I Blessed?

No, this is not a trick question. But it is a question that deserves asking.

Some will consider the economy, and say, “I used to be blessed before I lost my job.” But we know blessings are far more than jobs or money.

Others will say, “Yes, I’m blessed. I have my health and my family.” This is a good answer, but it’s still incomplete. After all, there are those who are in poor health, or those who have lost family members. Are they not blessed?

The biblical idea of blessing is much different than our measures today. In Romans 4:7-8, Paul writes this (quoting Psalm 32)…

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

I am blessed if my sins are forgiven. And everyone who turns from their sins and trusts in Christ has been forgiven. Not only is that the truest measure of being blessed, but that blessing is forever.

Jobs will come and go. The economy will be up and then down. Health fades. Family members will pass away. But the one who trusts in the Lord is blessed - forever.

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‘Is This Really All There Is?’

In our darker moments, this question can easily slip into our consciousness. But the question itself usually points to one of two bigger problems:

1. We’re forgetting about eternal life, or …
2. We’re temporarily blinded to the goodness and grace of God in this life.

Whatever the case, our sin always has a way of distorting reality.

Then we read Bible passages like this. …

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 9 - “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?… What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”

Solomon (in the lineage of Jesus) is writing God’s inspired word, telling the depressing truth of the sum of all life were it not for redemption. We live, we pay taxes and we die. As my crazy uncle used to say, “Thrills and bills - that’s what life is all about.”

Left to himself, the height of man’s existence on this earth is like a bad weather report - mostly cloudy with scattered moments of happiness and a 100% chance of futility.

But we know for those in Christ, this life is not all there is. The raw truth of no purpose in life outside of Christ should serve as a gracious reminder today of how merciful and good God is in rescuing us from a pointless existence by reconciling us to Himself in Christ. Through Jesus, we are called to glorify God. And only because of Jesus, we are saved … from our sin, from God’s wrath, and from a meaningless wandering in the wilderness.

My sinful heart is still tempted to aimlessness at times. But praise God for His word that reminds me that my purpose is His glory, in Christ Jesus. Praise His name forever.

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‘Not Rich, Not Poor’

Proverbs 30:8-9 - “… give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”

Wow, what a prayer. Have you ever prayed this? I have not. But I’m going to start.

“God, I don’t want either riches or poverty. If I’m rich, I will be tempted to forget you. If I’m poor, I’ll be tempted to steal. Give me food for today, and let me be completely satisfied in you.”

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. -Psalm 90:14

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