lessons from Ruth
I’m currently studying the book of Ruth. It’s one I’ve read in depth before but each time I come to the table, there’s something new. God’s Word truly is faithful, living and active (Hebrews 4:12). And wowza, is there a lot in Ruth. You’ve got drama, you’ve got romance … in some ways it’s like Survivor meets the Bachelor. But this time I’m thinking a lot about what it’s teaching me about suffering. If you’re like me you’re one that wants to quickly read over the opening - you know, famine, bad choices, death, sorrow, poverty - and get to the “good stuff.”
But as I start my 37th year, I want to reflect on the lessons God has taught me in my 30s about lamenting and spending time with Him in the midst of my suffering. I was reminded of these lessons while I was listening to a sermon this morning by Tim Keller entitled, “How to Deal with Dark Times.”
He said the following things about Darkness:
Darkness can be something that lasts a long time for a believing Christian.
There’s no better place to learn about the grace of God than in dark times.
There’s no better place to become a person of greatness than in dark times.
Darkness can be relativized.
What really got me was a reference he made to painful prayers. Prayers from people like the Psalmist, Job, or Jeremiah. Or like Naomi in Ruth chapter 1. Prayers on death, despair, bitterness, or hopelessness. How often am I afraid to pray these prayers? What will they say about my faith?
Keller turns to Derek Kidner's commentary on Psalms 1-72. Read this -
“Yet for the moment, like Job or Jeremiah, he can see no more than death, and ask no more than respite. The prayer of 13a makes no more sense than Peter's 'depart from me'; but God knows when to treat that plea as in Luke 5:8ff., and as in Matthew 8:34f. The very presence of such prayers in Scripture is a witness to his understanding. He knows how men speak when they are desperate."
Keller reminds us that the reason these prayers are in the Bible is because GOD PUT THEM THERE. He knows how desperate people feel, think, and talk. And He loves His people.
He can handle my desperation. He’s not afraid of the mess I made or the mess I’m in. And once I face it, I actually see Him waiting in it for me.
Thanks for following along. Man has Ruth been good. Praying that He equips us to grieve, suffer, and wait with hope and not be afraid to enter in to dark seasons with those around us. He is good.
