When Tragedy Strikes

So today's reading will be from the book of Ruth, chapter 1, verse 1 to 22.

Ruth 1 · chapter mention

So if you guys could follow along in your Bibles, your bulletin, or the screen behind me, that'd be great.

And starting in verse 1, we read,

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land.

And a man of Bethlehem and Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.

The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi.

And the names of his two sons were Malon and Kilion.

They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem and Judah.

They went into the country of Moab and remained there.

But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died.

And she was left with her two sons.

These took Moabite wives.

The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth.

They lived there about ten years, and both Malon and Kilion died,

so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab,

for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.

So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law,

and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law,

Go, return each of you to her mother's house.

May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband.

Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

And they said to her,

No, we will return with you to your people.

But Naomi said,

Turn back, my daughters.

Why will you go with me?

Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?

Turn back, my daughters.

Go your way, for I am too old to have a husband.

If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons,

would you therefore wait till they were grown?

Would you therefore refrain from marrying?

No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter for me, for your sake,

that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.

Then they lifted up their voices and wept again.

And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

And she said,

See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods.

Return after your sister-in-law.

But Ruth said,

Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you.

For where you go, I will go.

Where you lodge, I will lodge.

Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.

Where you die, I will die.

And there I will be buried.

May the Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts me from you.

And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said,

No more.

So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem.

And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them.

And the woman said,

Is this Naomi?

She said to them,

Do not call me Naomi.

Call me Mara.

For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty.

Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me,

and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?

So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law with her,

who returned from the country of Moab,

and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

This is the word of God.

Thanks, Jaya.

Well, good morning, and happy new year to some of you,

if you just got back to Hong Kong recently.

My name is Oscar, and I am one of the elders here at Watermark.

And today, I am very, very excited,

because we are diving into this beautiful book of Ruth.

And maybe you know this book.

Maybe you've read it a few times.

Maybe you're following us at Watermark.

We are doing the Bible reading plan,

and we've just read the first two chapters of Ruth.

Or perhaps you have no clue at all what this book is about.

Well, Ruth has been called

the most beautiful short story ever written.

It's only four chapters,

but inside these pages, it really packs a punch.

Ruth is a love story.

It's a love story between Ruth and Boaz.

It's also a love story between Ruth and Naomi.

But even more so,

this is a love story between God and humanity.

The overarching theme of Ruth is that

God desires to display his loving kindness

to save and redeem all people.

Now, what also makes Ruth so relatable

is that it's about ordinary life.

There's no king.

There's no army.

There's no national event.

The stuff that happens in the book,

it's about a few simple people

experiencing the ups and the downs

of everyday life,

marriage,

relationships,

hunger,

poverty,

love,

and death.

And woven through it all

is God

who quietly intervenes

intervenes

in the lives of people

to display his loving kindness

and ultimately his great redemption.

Ruth is a picture of the gospel.

It's a picture of the great love

of Jesus Christ.

And so today,

we'll kick off in Ruth chapter one.

As Jaya read so eloquently,

this chapter starts off with

Naomi losing everything.

She faces great tragedy

and loss.

Everything she held dear

was taken from her.

But in the face

of such tragedy,

we will see

that God provides hope

because there's always hope

if we trust

the God of the Bible.

So let's look at Ruth chapter one

in three parts.

First,

tragedy strikes.

Second,

a glimmer of hope.

And third,

the faith

of a believer.

Let's pray together.

Father,

as we consider your word,

as we come under your word,

and as we honor you today,

Lord,

understanding and learning

about this

chapter of Ruth,

open our hearts,

God.

open our hearts

and our minds.

Allow us,

Lord,

to get the essence

of what you're trying

to say to us,

God.

Help us to put ourselves

in the shoes

of the characters

to feel their pain,

but also,

Lord,

to see that you are

working in their lives.

Even when we

don't see you,

you're working

in our lives.

I pray for great

encouragement today

for all of us here.

Help me,

God,

as I speak.

Help me to speak

clearly

with good diction

so that people

can understand

what you're trying

to say to us.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

So in the Bible,

Ruth is right

after the book

of Judges.

And the very last

verse of Judges

describes the setting

in which Ruth

was in.

In those days,

there was no king

in Israel.

Everyone did

what was right

in his own eyes.

During the time

of Judges

and the time

of Ruth,

there was complete

moral depravity

in Israel.

Immorality,

self-indulgence,

self-exaltation

were rampant.

If you wanted

your neighbor's property,

you just stole it.

If you desire

your neighbor's spouse,

you just acted out

those carnal desires

without any care

for your fellow man

or any care

for God.

And as a result,

God's judgment

fell on Israel

and God caused

a famine

in the land.

And it was in that context

that we read

in Ruth chapter 1

Ruth 1:1

verse 1

that a man

from Bethlehem

in Judah

named Elimelech,

he makes the decision

to leave Judah.

He leaves God's people.

He leaves God's land.

And he takes his wife,

Naomi,

and their two sons,

Malon and Kilion,

to a neighboring nation

called Moab

to try to find food.

But the Moabites

were pagan worshipers

and there was a lot

of bad blood

between Israel

and Moab

that went back

years and years.

So it was not

a friendly environment

for this Jewish family

to enter into.

But then in Moab,

the uncomfortable dream

descends into a nightmare.

We don't know how

or why,

but Elimelech dies.

Can you imagine

a worse situation

for Naomi to be in?

You're in a foreign country,

the people are hostile to you,

and then out of nowhere

you lose your husband.

And as if mourning

the loss

of your beloved husband

wasn't enough,

she had to face

the loss of her security

and protection

and her social standing.

For in those days,

a woman,

her standing in society

was really based

on her husband.

But then,

it gets worse for Naomi.

Her two sons,

Malon and Kilion,

they marry Moabite wives,

but after about 10 years,

Naomi's sons die as well.

So not only does Naomi

lose her lover

and her husband,

she loses her protection,

identity, security,

social standing,

loses her sons.

And not just that,

but with their deaths,

the deaths of her sons,

her family's name

would cease to exist.

Her family's name

would be wiped out,

wiped out.

For without a son,

Elimelech's line would end.

So both in her present circumstances

and looking into the future,

Naomi was utterly crushed.

And I don't think

anyone can really blame her

for how she responds

to this tragedy.

If we fast forward

just for a moment

to the end of Ruth chapter 1,

Ruth 1 · chapter mention

Naomi and Ruth

returned to Bethlehem

and the whole town

was stirred.

The people there

were gathering around,

wondering what happened

to Elimelech

and Malon

and Kilion

trying to understand

what happened

to that decade or so

that they were there

in Moab.

And Naomi tells them.

She doesn't mince words.

She tells the woman

of the town

in verses 20 and 21,

Do not call me Naomi,

which means pleasant.

Call me Mara,

which means bitter.

For the Almighty

has dealt very bitterly with me.

I went away full

and the Lord

has brought me back empty.

Why call me Naomi

when the Lord

has testified against me

and the Almighty

has brought calamity upon me?

Naomi was in a dark place.

She lost everything.

Her husband,

sons,

security protection,

her assets,

her standing in society,

everything she held dear,

gone.

Now maybe you think

Naomi is being

a bad witness to Ruth.

After all,

Naomi being

from the Jewish people,

she should know the Bible,

the stories of how God

is always faithful

and always provides.

God's always so good

to his people.

Shouldn't Naomi know that?

Why is she still

so negative?

Now,

by no means

is Naomi

the model Jew

or a model Christian

in the way she responds

to such tragedy.

But,

as I read Ruth,

I see beauty

in Naomi's response

in two ways.

The first is that

Naomi,

Naomi is being real.

Tragedies happen

to all of us.

We will all face suffering.

But it's okay

not to have to

force yourself

to be unemotive

or to pretend

that everything is okay.

In the Bible,

we read,

especially in Psalms,

that

there's a place

and a way for us

to process pain

and suffering

and all the confusion

around it

through what the Bible

calls lamenting.

If you live long enough,

you will face suffering.

But as God's people,

we can be real

with God.

With God directly

through prayer.

We can be real

with our church community.

And if you are part

of this church,

we will do our best

to come alongside you

if you're facing suffering.

And second,

Naomi holds on

to God's sovereignty.

It may seem like

Naomi is quite negative.

She does change her name

from pleasant

to bitter.

But if you read

the text closely,

she never once

curses God.

She never once

rejects God's sovereignty.

She never loses

her faith in God.

She never denies

that God's in control

with the power

to do

as He pleases.

In fact,

Naomi's stance

is that God

is in control.

God is sovereign.

God can do

whatever He desires.

He's dealt me

a bad hand.

But God is in control.

He can do

what He pleases

because He's God.

You see,

for the Christian,

the fork in the road

of suffering

often looks like this.

Life is going

just fine.

The sun is shining.

We're all making money.

We're all having children.

But then,

boom,

one day,

life smashes us

in the face.

Tragedy strikes

and our faith

is put to the test.

And in response,

we can follow

either one

of two paths.

The first path

starts with bitterness

against God.

But it doesn't end there.

Bitterness

leads down the road

of rejecting

God's sovereignty.

We stop trusting Him.

We lose our faith

in Him.

Maybe we even

leave our church community.

And that is a very

dangerous road

to go down

because it can often

descend into sin

and depravity

because nothing

ever good

can happen

apart from God.

The second road,

the second path,

may start with lamenting,

but then it leads

to the decision

to continue

to hope in God,

to continue

to press on

into God.

But it's often

not a V-shaped recovery.

It's often

not a simple,

fast microwave fix.

The road

can be hard.

It often

will be hard.

It's long.

It's difficult.

There'll be

ups and downs.

But in the midst

of it,

God's word

and God's people

will remind us

that God is good.

And if we hang on

to the hope

that He is good,

that one day

in eternity,

our suffering

won't just end.

Our suffering

would be replaced

with eternal joy

as we are in heaven

with our Lord Jesus.

And Naomi,

I believe,

takes a second path.

It isn't an easy path,

but Naomi never

gives up hope

because if you

always have hope

in God,

the God of the Bible,

you're in a good place.

And that glimmer

of hope appears.

Starting in verse 6,

we read that one day

as Naomi was going

about her day

faithfully working

in the fields

of Moab

to provide food

for herself,

Ruth,

and Orpah,

she hears

that God

had visited

His people

and given them food.

God had intervened

and ended

the famine

back in Bethlehem.

A bit of sunshine

is peering through

those dark clouds.

So the three ladies,

they packed their stuff

and set out

on the three-day journey

back to Bethlehem.

But on the way,

Naomi turns

to Ruth and Orpah.

She does this

sensible thing

and she says to them,

stay back

in Moab.

Verses 8 and 9,

go,

return each of you

to her mother's house.

May the Lord

deal kindly with you

as you have dealt

with the dead

and with me.

The Lord grant

that you may find rest

each of you

in the house

of her husband.

Again,

Naomi,

in spite of the despair

that she faces,

she acknowledges

that it's the Lord

who grants kindness.

It's the Lord

who grants rest.

She acknowledges

that God is sovereign

and she prays

this blessing

over Ruth and Orpah

expecting them

to do the logical thing

to stay in Moab.

Naomi knows

that logically,

right,

there will be

a much higher chance

for Ruth and Orpah

to find rest

back in Moab.

This rest

that Naomi speaks about

refers to

the two

remarrying

in Moab,

perhaps starting

a family,

perhaps having

a son

to carry on

the family line

for that is

what was

most important

for a woman

back in

those days.

For it would be

highly unlikely

that anyone

in Bethlehem

would want to

marry a foreigner,

a Moabite.

And Orpah

does a sensible thing.

She

kisses Naomi,

says her goodbyes,

and stays

in Moab.

But Ruth,

Ruth makes

the opposite,

the irrational,

the illogical

decision

to go with

Naomi

back to

Bethlehem.

Verse 14,

but Ruth

clung to her.

Ruth clung

to Naomi.

Imagine it,

in the middle

of the road

on the way

to Bethlehem,

Ruth grabs

on to Naomi.

Naomi tries

again to do

the sensible thing.

Hey, stay back

in Moab.

You're ridiculous

coming with me.

But Ruth is

resolute.

She's unyielding.

She's stubborn.

In verses

16 and 17,

the most

well-known

verses

in the book

of Ruth,

Ruth tells

Naomi,

it's beautiful,

do not urge

me to leave

you or to

return from

following you.

For where

you go,

I will go.

And where

you lodge,

I will lodge.

Your people

shall be

my people

and your

God

my God.

Where you

die,

I will die.

And there

will I

be buried.

May the

Lord do

so to me

and more

also,

if anything

but death

parts me

from you.

And here,

the first,

I think

the most

prominent,

and perhaps

the most

surprising

love story

of Ruth

begins.

The love

story between

daughter-in-law

and mother-in-law.

I see some

wives here

laughing like

it's funny.

But isn't

it true,

though,

that the

relationship

between daughter-in-law

and mother-in-law

is often the

most tense

or at least

the most

awkward of

all human

relationships?

I see some

like nodding,

yes,

yes,

yes,

yes,

yes,

I've experienced

that,

yes.

But in

Naomi's

deepest

moment,

when she

was completely

empty,

with all

that she

loved taken

from her,

still,

there was

hope.

Naomi didn't

know it yet,

but that glimmer

of hope,

that wasn't just

God providing

food back

in Bethlehem,

it was so much

more.

God had intervened

and brought her

Ruth,

the most unlikely

friend and

helper,

who,

we will see in

future chapters,

risks her

life in a

display of

love for

Naomi.

Naomi's

journey from

emptiness to

fullness was

about to

begin.

Now,

I do want to

acknowledge that

some of us in

this room have

experienced

unspeakable

tragedy,

even as

horrific as

what Naomi has

experienced.

The loss of a

mother or

father,

father,

there's never

enough time.

The loss of a

child, it will

crush your soul,

or the loss of

your beloved

spouse.

And all of us

here,

probably in some

shape or form,

have experienced

some sort of

suffering,

because if you

live long enough,

you will face

suffering,

because suffering

is part of the

human condition.

But as we

consider Naomi's

tragedy,

we see that in

the midst of the

darkness, God

intervened and

gave Naomi hope.

And so whatever

you're going

through, and

whatever you may

go through down

the road, or

whatever messiness

exists in your

life, if you love

and trust Christ,

there is always

hope.

Ruth clung to

Naomi, clung to

her, picture it,

it makes no sense,

just go back to

Moab, you'll

find a husband,

start a family,

you'll be

comfortable there.

But Ruth was

standing firm,

telling Naomi,

whatever the

cost, however

long it takes,

wherever it

takes me, I

will cling to

you and I

will love you.

I will go to

the ends of the

earth to love

you, and where

you're buried, I

will also be

buried.

As if saying

that even in

death, death

cannot part me

from you.

And to

express the

seriousness of

her promise, she

even invokes a

curse upon

herself if she

fails to keep

her word.

Verse 17, we

just read it.

May the Lord do

so to me, and

more also, if

anything but

death parts me

from you.

And like

Ruth, God's

love for us is

and never was

logical.

biblical.

Jesus died for

sinners.

Jesus died for

us when we were

worshipping all

the things of

this world, money,

power, pleasures,

comforts.

Jesus died for

us in effect when

we hated him.

Ruth, she was

serious about her

commitment to

cling to Naomi.

She invoked that

curse.

But on the

cross, Christ

took that curse

of sin upon

himself.

because of his

love for you.

Because of his

irrational love

for you.

And isn't

irrational love,

isn't irrational

love what we

crave or desire?

Not conditional

love.

Not circumstantial

love.

Not a summer

fling.

I love that my

wife, Celeste,

says she's crazy

about me sometimes.

But isn't

crazy love what

we desire?

Crazy love,

crazy,

irrational,

illogical,

long-suffering,

long-standing,

permanent,

forever love.

That is what we

desire, isn't it?

If that is you,

then know Jesus.

Experience his

love.

There's nothing

like it in this

world.

I've lost my

place now,

sorry.

And so for

Ruth,

without knowing

that much about

the God of

Israel,

this Moabite

outsider had

the faith to

cling on to

Naomi,

return with her

back to

Bethlehem,

even though the

odds would

suggest she

would have

very low

chance of

ever finding

security or

a husband in

Bethlehem.

If that isn't

faith, I don't

know what is.

Now here's a

question.

Like Orpah,

Ruth could have

walked away from

Naomi, and no

one would have

blamed her.

She was still

young.

She could have

remarried, had a

family, and had a

comfortable life in

Moab.

Why does Ruth

cling to Naomi?

Why does Ruth

place her bets,

so to speak,

all in on

Naomi?

Was Naomi an

amazing leader?

Was Naomi going

to provide her

food and

protection and

security?

Did Ruth owe a

debt to Naomi?

Of course, no.

None of these

things at all.

You see, Ruth

wasn't putting her

hope in Naomi at

all.

Her love for

Naomi, which

throughout the four

chapters of Ruth

beautifully blossoms

and grows, is

driven by her

faith in the

God of the

Bible.

Ruth makes

this profound

commitment to

Naomi.

In verse 16,

your people shall

be my people, and

your God my

God.

Doesn't that

sound a lot like

the covenant

commitment that God

made to his people

Israel throughout the

Old Testament?

What did God say to

his people?

You'll be my

people, and I

will be your

God.

You see, it

wasn't like God

had abandoned

Naomi, and Ruth

stepped in to

take God's

place.

Rather, in

Ruth's loving

commitment to

Naomi, we

actually see God's

loving commitment

to Naomi.

And so we can

see how God is

behind it, providing

a glimmer of hope

to Naomi, and

showing that he is

at work in the

midst of despair.

It's likely that

Ruth heard of the

God of Israel

through Naomi.

Perhaps Naomi

shared how the

God of Israel, he

took Abraham out

of paganism, and

made an everlasting

promise to

Abraham.

Perhaps Naomi

shared how the

God of Israel,

through Moses,

delivered and

rescued his

people from

slavery in Egypt,

and gave them

their own land.

Perhaps Naomi

shared how the

God of Israel

is forever

faithful, forever

kind, forever

loving, forever

designed to

rescue and

redeem his

people.

Now, Naomi was

far from the

model Jew, yes.

She was bitter

after losing so

much.

But she never

turned her back

on God, and

God still used

her, as God

can use anyone

to bring another

person to faith

in him.

And so it was

likely that Ruth

came to faith in

God through

Naomi.

And it was

Ruth's conversion

from a pagan

Moabite, an

enemy of God's

people, to faith

in the God of

Israel.

That drove her

conviction to

begin a new

life, following,

trusting, and

obeying the God

of Israel.

And where would

that road lead

her?

To Judah, to

Bethlehem.

Bethlehem.

Because in

Moab, although

there may have

been comfort

and security,

there was no

God.

The Lord, the

Almighty, the

true God that

made the heavens

and the earth, he

wasn't in Moab.

He was back in the

land of Israel.

And so to follow

the God of Israel,

Ruth knew she had

to return with

Naomi back to

Bethlehem.

And so Ruth, she

intentionally chose

a life following

God with the

overwhelming likelihood

of permanent

poverty, widowhood,

and prejudice.

You see, in the

face of Naomi's

suffering, Ruth

herself chose

suffering to

mitigate Naomi's

suffering.

It's a lot of

suffering.

In the face of

Naomi's suffering,

I'll say it again,

in the face of

Naomi's suffering,

Ruth herself chose

suffering to

mitigate Naomi's

suffering.

A picture of

Jesus, isn't it?

Isn't that what

Jesus did?

In the face of

our potential

eternal damnation

to hell, Jesus

took our place,

he came into the

world, and he

clung to us, and

he went to the

cross, and he

suffered there so

that we wouldn't

have to.

Now, looking back

at Ruth, what an

example of someone

who lives by

faith.

And friends, isn't

this what God

calls us to do as

his people?

To live by faith?

The righteous will

live by faith.

Romans 1 to 16.

For without faith,

it's impossible to

please God.

Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

But, we're a

people that always

demand to know

everything that's

going to happen

before it happens

in order to

believe it.

And we must see

something right in

front of us.

We're a people

also that naturally

drive away from

radical, risky

decisions towards

comfortable, easy

decisions.

I know that's me.

I'd much rather go

fly with my family

short haul to

Cebu.

It's only two

hours than fly

long haul to

overseas.

I just don't want

to deal with the

difficulty.

Partly, I think it's

because I'm very

privileged.

I think we're all

very privileged

living in Hong

Kong.

We get out our

phone.

If you want pizza,

get out my phone.

I just use my

thumb, click three

buttons, boom, pizza

at my door, 20

minutes.

But I believe God

is calling us to

follow Ruth's

example.

To live by faith.

And not just do

what is logical.

And not just do

what is in our own

best interest.

And for some of us

here, living by

faith, maybe that

means loving someone

that you really don't

like to love or don't

want to love.

Maybe it's your

mother-in-law.

Maybe it's your

colleague.

Maybe it's your CG

member.

To love someone like

Ruth loved Naomi.

For some of us here,

maybe God is calling

us to reorient our

ambitions.

I think for a lot of

us, money and career

drive our decisions.

Perhaps God is calling

us to finally put him

above everything else.

I think for all of us,

partly what it means

to live by faith is

giving money back to

God.

For all of us.

I know it's hard.

For some of us, maybe

it means giving more

money away back to

God.

All are called to

live by faith.

To obey God.

To honor God above

all.

Even when it's

radical and not

logical.

And maybe you're

here today and

you're not a

Christian.

Think about this.

The journey of

life is like sailing

out in the open

sea.

Maybe right now,

the sun is shining.

The sea is calm.

But you're at the

mercy of the wind,

the waves,

and the rain.

At some point,

a storm will come.

At some point,

tragedy will be

a little strike

because this world

is decaying.

Because this world

is not all there

is.

The question is,

what is your

anchor?

What is your,

what will save you?

What is your hope?

If you put your

life and trust in

Jesus, you will

always find hope.

God intervenes in

the lives of

the lives of

Naomi and

Ruth to do only

what God can do.

He always brings

restoration.

He always brings

life from despair

and death.

And for all of us,

with hindsight,

we can see that

God has already

intervened,

sending Jesus into

the world to die

on the cross.

And because of

him, we have an

eternal hope that

nothing in this

world could ever

take away.

Not famine,

not natural

disasters,

not war,

not an economic

depression,

not even death

can separate us

from the love of

God through

Christ Jesus.

Let me close.

Ruth 1 ends

with Naomi and

Ruth arriving

in Bethlehem

right at the

beginning of

the barley harvest.

After such

tragedy,

a glimmer of

hope will turn

into something

more tangible

and real.

There will be

uncertainty,

there will be

much risk,

faith will be

needed,

but as we

continue to

look at the

book of Ruth,

we will see

that both

Naomi and

Ruth,

who began

the story

destitute

and broken,

will be more

blessed,

will experience

more of the

favor and

kindness of

God than

they could

ever imagine

in their

wildest dreams.

And we'll

also see how

this little

story of Ruth

is part of

the biggest

story that

was ever

told,

the redemption

of the world

through Jesus

Christ.

This is how

the God of

the Bible

works.

He takes

people like

us,

broken,

messy,

sinful,

and if we

only have the

strength and

resolve to

humble ourselves,

to admit that

we can't do it

ourselves, to

admit that we

are broken.

God always

showers us with

kindness and

favor.

And so this

week, as we

go out into

our city,

whatever may

smash us in

the face,

whatever trials

we're going

through, let's

cling on to

God.

Let's cling on

to His every

word.

There's always

hope in

Christ.

peace.

And may we

be a people

who live

radically by

faith.

Let's pray.

Father, thank

you so much

that we can

study this

book of the

Bible.

Your word,

your holy

word.

Thank you,

God, that

after a thousand

years, it

still speaks to

us just as

powerfully as

it did back

then, because

it is your

scripture.

God, as we

respond to

this, and

today, now, and

throughout the

week, we think

about our own

trials in life, we

think about the

despair that we

think about the

idols that we

have in life,

Lord.

I pray, God, that

you would cause

us to see, Lord,

there's always a

glimmer of hope as

we trust Christ.

Help us to cling

on to you,

Jesus, and to

never let go.

For those of us

here that have

not yet put our

hope in you,

God, I pray,

God, that you

would speak to

us directly.

Speak to us as

only you can,

God, and may we

all be a people,

God, that love

and trust you.

Thank you.

Thank you for

Jesus, your son.

In his name we

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.