Ruth and the Big Picture

The book of Ruth has been described as the most beautiful short story ever written. And while it’s short, less than 2500 words in English, its beauty is obvious in multiple ways. It is a story of family, it’s a love story, and more than anything, Ruth reveals the invisible hand of a sovereign God who works His will in the seemingly random events of people’s lives.

One of the great values of God’s word in general, and of a book like Ruth in particular, is that is enables us to see the “Big Picture” – how the Lord does in fact work all things together for good for those who love Him.

We cannot see The Big Picture in our own lives. We operate from day to day, a step at a time. If our recent days have been hard, full of toil or heartache or grief, it’s very difficult to convince ourselves that tomorrow will be any different.

When You're Spinning Out of Control

We all have weeks when it feels like everything that could go wrong does. You begin to think God has taken a break from watching over your life, and you’re on your own, spinning slow-motion like a hydroplaning car on a mountain road, heading for the cliff.

Maybe that’s overly dramatic, but you probably know what I mean.

Christ hasn't gone anywhere, of course, and what you have to do is ride it out. Keep praying, and ignore the sense of vertigo you feel when it seems like your circumstances are spiraling out of control. And, of course, continue to read your Bible.

You never know when a very familiar, or seemingly dull, portion of holy Scripture may be just the encouragement you need. This week, for example, the Lord helped me through a genealogy. Usually you think of long lists of names – So-and-So begat Such-and-Such – as the boring verses you skip to get to the action parts of the Bible.