If we are honest, I think we can admit We have a tendency to respond to suffering from bitterness. Now, I know you are thinking, well no… I get sad… angry… frustrated… confused… hurt… yes, and there are a myriad of other emotions that can be captured with other words, but all roads lead to bitterness if we are not careful to immediately address how a hurt has impacted us.

If we believe God to be on our side, then difficulties will only drive us deeper into His arms, and make us more secure in His care. But... Suffering embitters us when we believe God is against us. This we will see proven true today in Naomi’s story, perhaps by exploring her story, we can avoid it in ours.

For the most part, particularly in the West, when we need food we go out and we buy it. In fact, these days, rarely do we even prepare it, as the average number of nights people eat out in our country has been increasingly on the rise for decades. Four to five times a week people in the U.S. eat commercially prepared meals. That is about one every other day over the course of a month.

Because of this, the idea that God must make it rain for the ground to produce a crop, and for that crop to be harvested, in order for a meal to hit the table is a foreign concept to most; foolish to some. God’s providence in providing for us is often lost in the midst of our modern amenities.

Ruth | Hollow | Ruth 1:6-22