I love this old photograph. A copy of it hung in my Granny's house when I was little. I've since discovered that it's actually very popular and I imagine you've seen a copy yourself somewhere along your journey. You may even have a copy in your home.
As a little boy, I knew very little of Jesus or faith. Yet, the posture of the man in this photo always captured my attention. The table is spread very humbly...bread, some soup, a Bible...there's not even anything on the walls. I suppose I wondered "just what is that man thanking God for? He has so little". Even as a young boy, I viewed the world as my oyster and my value was wrapped up in what I had, not in who I was. It was so foreign to me, a spoiled little brat with little to no exposure to God.
Oh, how differently I see this photo today. This man is living out his faith, humbly and obediently. And God has clearly provided for him what he needs, as opposed to what he might want. The reward of humble faith laid out on the table before him. I look at this picture now, and realize that God's greatest provisions in my life were when I was most faithful. And God's provision didn't always look like "provision" at the time. Sometimes, it was his "refining fire" burning away sin in my life.
My long-winded point is this: God makes provision for the faithful.
This week, we dive into Ruth 2. And we see this very fact begin to play out in the lives of the characters of the story. Not the least of all in a simple and humble girl from a foreign land, named Ruth. This girl has little ambition, is soft spoken and lays no claim on the Jewish inheritence...but she has faith in spades.
Take a moment to read the chapter, then follow along as we go through our Scripture Outlines and unpack what God is speaking into our hearts through this beautiful story.
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