1 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,880 Hi. How are you guys? I was listening to and talk about 2 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,425 all the babies that are being born here and the ministries we 3 00:00:14,425 --> 00:00:18,025 get to have an opportunity to be a part of and the 4 00:00:18,025 --> 00:00:21,785 children we're watching grow up. Guys, there's so much 5 00:00:21,785 --> 00:00:25,305 fruit in the house. There's so much fruit, God is doing 6 00:00:25,305 --> 00:00:28,140 things and I'm so encouraged 7 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,759 by what I see all around us. So we're gonna 8 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:36,520 press into the word today because I think it is the word that changes us. 9 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,739 I believe it is the truth of the word that gives us a foundation 10 00:00:40,325 --> 00:00:44,085 to stand on and allows us to move forward, and I find it 11 00:00:44,085 --> 00:00:47,465 very much like God that this particular 12 00:00:47,605 --> 00:00:50,985 Sunday, I would have the opportunity to share about 13 00:00:51,524 --> 00:00:55,190 Ruth, and that I would have the opportunity to talk with you 14 00:00:55,190 --> 00:00:58,870 guys about how we navigate things when 15 00:00:58,870 --> 00:01:02,630 seasons change in our life. Anybody been going through 16 00:01:02,630 --> 00:01:06,470 anything lately? Let's just start over here 17 00:01:06,470 --> 00:01:10,155 with the first row. Life happens, 18 00:01:10,155 --> 00:01:13,215 doesn't it? Things happen, disappointment happens, 19 00:01:13,915 --> 00:01:17,135 our hearts get broken, relationships change, 20 00:01:17,995 --> 00:01:21,675 we have to navigate hard places sometimes. Have any of 21 00:01:21,675 --> 00:01:25,340 you ever had to navigate a place that you didn't really know? Well 22 00:01:25,340 --> 00:01:28,860 number one, you didn't want to be there in the first place, and number two, 23 00:01:28,860 --> 00:01:32,619 you're like what am I going to do now? Anybody, what am I going to 24 00:01:32,619 --> 00:01:36,220 do now? I seem to spend a perpetual amount of 25 00:01:36,220 --> 00:01:39,865 time asking the Lord, okay, what do I do now? Well He had taken 26 00:01:39,865 --> 00:01:43,625 me in the book of Ruth some time ago, taken me through some 27 00:01:43,625 --> 00:01:47,384 steps, some life lessons that have 28 00:01:47,384 --> 00:01:50,980 really served me well. I feel like when the Lord implants 29 00:01:50,980 --> 00:01:54,660 something in your spirit through his word, that's not just for 30 00:01:54,660 --> 00:01:58,420 now. It's one of those things that you use over and over and 31 00:01:58,420 --> 00:02:00,760 over again as the Lord changes your seasons. 32 00:02:02,645 --> 00:02:05,705 Have the leaves fallen off of anyone's trees lately? 33 00:02:06,244 --> 00:02:09,764 Because that's how I feel a lot of times when the seasons change in my 34 00:02:09,764 --> 00:02:13,365 life, and I'm watching Ruth walk through 35 00:02:13,365 --> 00:02:16,980 some seasons, and I watch to see 36 00:02:16,980 --> 00:02:20,660 how the Lord helps her navigate those places. And I just want to 37 00:02:20,660 --> 00:02:23,940 share it with you and see what the Lord would do with these things in 38 00:02:23,940 --> 00:02:27,720 your life as you navigate the hard seasons 39 00:02:28,100 --> 00:02:31,894 or the changing seasons or fields that you didn't even 40 00:02:31,894 --> 00:02:35,495 want to be in in the first place? How do we navigate those 41 00:02:35,495 --> 00:02:38,875 places in a way that brings glory to God, 42 00:02:39,015 --> 00:02:42,855 brings wholeness to us, and strengthens us and we can 43 00:02:42,855 --> 00:02:46,620 learn as we go. So we're gonna stand and read a passage 44 00:02:46,620 --> 00:02:49,500 in a minute. Let me set it up. How many of you know the story 45 00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:53,180 of Ruth? Okay. Tell your neighbor 46 00:02:53,180 --> 00:02:56,860 about it. Just a brief 47 00:02:56,860 --> 00:03:00,525 synopsis. Ruth, Elimelech 48 00:03:01,385 --> 00:03:05,085 and his family, Elimelech and Naomi, are living 49 00:03:05,225 --> 00:03:08,905 in Judah, and it says there is a famine in the land. And 50 00:03:08,905 --> 00:03:12,620 so Elimelech decides to take his family to 51 00:03:12,620 --> 00:03:16,160 Moab, and so Elimelech takes Naomi. 52 00:03:16,620 --> 00:03:20,320 They leave the homeland, and while they are there, their sons, 53 00:03:20,460 --> 00:03:24,300 Mahlon and Killian, marry two daughters, Ruth and 54 00:03:24,300 --> 00:03:28,115 Orpah. Well, in the course of events, they're living in a strange 55 00:03:28,115 --> 00:03:31,955 land. It isn't where it isn't their homeland. They've been forced to go there 56 00:03:31,955 --> 00:03:35,635 by circumstances. Have circumstances ever taken you 57 00:03:35,635 --> 00:03:39,440 somewhere that you really wish you didn't have to go? Yeah, 58 00:03:39,580 --> 00:03:43,260 me too. Me too. And so there they are 59 00:03:43,260 --> 00:03:46,860 in a strange land, but they've been there for a while, actually 60 00:03:46,860 --> 00:03:50,320 about ten years, and Elimelech 61 00:03:50,540 --> 00:03:54,135 passes, then Mahlon and Kilion both 62 00:03:54,135 --> 00:03:57,515 pass, and so not only has this woman, 63 00:03:57,575 --> 00:04:01,254 Naomi, lost her husband and lost both of her 64 00:04:01,254 --> 00:04:04,614 sons, she now is charged with caring for two 65 00:04:04,614 --> 00:04:08,260 daughters who she loves dearly. And 66 00:04:08,260 --> 00:04:11,620 this is where we pick up the particular passage, if you would stand with 67 00:04:11,620 --> 00:04:15,459 me for a moment. The Lord, she has made the 68 00:04:15,459 --> 00:04:19,240 decision. She has heard. Naomi has heard. Help 69 00:04:19,300 --> 00:04:22,965 has come to her homeland. People are being 70 00:04:22,965 --> 00:04:26,565 blessed. It's not in famine anymore. Things are being taken care of. 71 00:04:26,565 --> 00:04:30,245 So she makes a decision to go home, and this is 72 00:04:30,245 --> 00:04:33,305 where we are. Look, said Naomi, 73 00:04:33,845 --> 00:04:37,630 your sister-in-law is going back to her people and 74 00:04:37,630 --> 00:04:41,230 her gods. Go back with her. But Ruth 75 00:04:41,230 --> 00:04:44,910 replied, don't urge me to leave you or to 76 00:04:44,910 --> 00:04:48,350 turn back from you. Where you go, I will 77 00:04:48,350 --> 00:04:51,650 go, and where you stay, I will stay. 78 00:04:52,215 --> 00:04:55,675 Your people will be my people, and your God, 79 00:04:55,815 --> 00:04:59,575 my God. Father, thank you for the decisions, Lord, that we 80 00:04:59,575 --> 00:05:03,415 make that put us right in the center of your hand. I pray, Father 81 00:05:03,415 --> 00:05:07,060 God, that today you would teach us. Lord that we could glean from these 82 00:05:07,060 --> 00:05:10,660 fields things that would serve us well, Lord, as we 83 00:05:10,660 --> 00:05:14,360 traverse these pathways, Lord that are unexpected and sometimes 84 00:05:14,420 --> 00:05:17,860 hard. Give us wisdom today, Father. I pray for 85 00:05:17,860 --> 00:05:21,235 teachable hearts, for soft spirits today, Lord Jesus. 86 00:05:21,534 --> 00:05:24,974 And I pray that my stuff would fall, and Your stand in Jesus' 87 00:05:24,974 --> 00:05:28,594 name, amen. Amen. I think it's 88 00:05:28,735 --> 00:05:32,574 kind of one of those cool things. There are four chapters in the book 89 00:05:32,574 --> 00:05:36,380 of Ruth, and each chapter shares a 90 00:05:36,380 --> 00:05:40,140 season that she has walked through. A couple of interesting things 91 00:05:40,140 --> 00:05:43,820 about the book of Ruth, it is the only book in the Bible that is 92 00:05:43,820 --> 00:05:47,420 named after a non Jew. Ruth was a 93 00:05:47,420 --> 00:05:50,875 Moabite. And so I love that 94 00:05:51,015 --> 00:05:54,695 this story is shared with someone who didn't have 95 00:05:54,695 --> 00:05:58,375 original covenant. I love that the path that he is 96 00:05:58,375 --> 00:06:02,055 getting ready to walk with Ruth is one that we 97 00:06:02,055 --> 00:06:05,650 are invited into. So I also think 98 00:06:05,790 --> 00:06:09,150 it was interesting that it actually most people think that it was a part of 99 00:06:09,150 --> 00:06:12,990 the book of Judges, but this particular part got 100 00:06:12,990 --> 00:06:16,764 told so many times, the story of Ruth and Boaz was 101 00:06:16,764 --> 00:06:20,285 told so many times that it kind of got separated as a 102 00:06:20,285 --> 00:06:24,044 separate story, so we went from Deborah in the book of Judges 103 00:06:24,044 --> 00:06:27,745 into this story with Ruth. But here's the thing. 104 00:06:28,044 --> 00:06:31,585 So often when we read about Ruth, what do we think about? 105 00:06:32,870 --> 00:06:36,550 Boaz. We think about I mean, come on. Come on. Now 106 00:06:36,550 --> 00:06:40,150 women, we have all seen the conferences finding 107 00:06:40,150 --> 00:06:43,669 your Boaz. You know, the search for 108 00:06:43,669 --> 00:06:47,345 Boaz. Do you have my Boaz? Preparing 109 00:06:47,485 --> 00:06:51,005 for Boaz. And I was like, oh, come on. Give me a 110 00:06:51,005 --> 00:06:54,465 break. Anyway, that's what we see. 111 00:06:54,605 --> 00:06:58,445 That's what we see somehow. It's always the story of Ruth and Boaz, 112 00:06:58,445 --> 00:07:02,225 and Ruth and Boaz are absolutely pivotal 113 00:07:02,659 --> 00:07:06,419 in the story. But here's the thing. We so 114 00:07:06,419 --> 00:07:10,180 love to jump to the good part, don't we? We don't like to go through 115 00:07:10,180 --> 00:07:14,020 the messy part. Just tell us the outcome. Just tell us 116 00:07:14,020 --> 00:07:17,000 the good part. Don't make us suffer with you. 117 00:07:17,915 --> 00:07:21,675 Don't make us grieve with you. Don't ask us 118 00:07:21,675 --> 00:07:25,515 to mourn with you or walk through hard places with 119 00:07:25,515 --> 00:07:29,275 you. No. Jump to the ending. You will ruin 120 00:07:29,275 --> 00:07:33,030 a book that way. You miss so much when you 121 00:07:33,030 --> 00:07:36,870 just want to jump to the end because it's the story that makes 122 00:07:36,870 --> 00:07:40,470 the ending so powerful. It is the 123 00:07:40,470 --> 00:07:44,185 story that makes the ending so rich. I was 124 00:07:44,185 --> 00:07:48,025 riding in the car with Nora June the other day. She's three, and 125 00:07:48,025 --> 00:07:51,485 it had been cloudy all day. I mean, just clouds everywhere. 126 00:07:51,785 --> 00:07:55,165 And all of a sudden, she yells from the back seat, Nana, 127 00:07:55,305 --> 00:07:58,910 look. The sky is blue. It's peeping 128 00:07:59,050 --> 00:08:02,890 right there. It's peeping right there and the rays of sun were coming through. 129 00:08:02,890 --> 00:08:05,630 And she went, it is so blue. 130 00:08:07,290 --> 00:08:10,655 Guys, the clouds are what show us how blue 131 00:08:11,115 --> 00:08:14,715 the sky really is. When they begin to part, when these 132 00:08:14,715 --> 00:08:18,235 things begin to happen, and the Lord just starts showing 133 00:08:18,235 --> 00:08:21,534 up, and all of a sudden everything is more beautiful 134 00:08:22,319 --> 00:08:25,840 because of what you've walked through, because of what you've come 135 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,680 through. See sometimes we don't want to know 136 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:32,899 the bad stuff. Here's the thing. 137 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:37,595 So often I've heard teachers pretty much most of my 138 00:08:37,595 --> 00:08:40,495 life say, God can heal you without scars. 139 00:08:41,434 --> 00:08:45,215 I pray not. I pray not because 140 00:08:45,355 --> 00:08:48,955 every scar that I carry is a testimony of 141 00:08:48,955 --> 00:08:52,690 his healing if I just let somebody touch it long enough 142 00:08:52,990 --> 00:08:56,530 to hear the story. The scars that you carry 143 00:08:56,750 --> 00:09:00,590 have purpose. They have meaning. The hard things that 144 00:09:00,590 --> 00:09:04,210 you have walked through, your testimonies are right there 145 00:09:04,430 --> 00:09:08,265 etched on your skin, etched on your heart, etched on those 146 00:09:08,265 --> 00:09:11,705 places because God has brought you through those 147 00:09:11,705 --> 00:09:15,485 clouds. These are the rays of sun 148 00:09:16,024 --> 00:09:19,785 peeping through that we're supposed to be using to tell the 149 00:09:19,785 --> 00:09:23,370 body of Christ you can make it. You can do it. This 150 00:09:23,370 --> 00:09:27,210 is my mom's favorite thing, this too shall pass. And I'll be 151 00:09:27,210 --> 00:09:30,890 like, no, it ain't. Yes, it will. No, it 152 00:09:30,890 --> 00:09:34,510 won't. It doesn't feel like it sometimes, does it? 153 00:09:34,815 --> 00:09:38,515 Sometimes those seasons feel like forever. Well, in our desire 154 00:09:38,575 --> 00:09:42,095 to not deal with the scars and the broken places, we 155 00:09:42,095 --> 00:09:45,855 miss the hand of God and so much. And we make it small. 156 00:09:45,855 --> 00:09:49,480 We make the suffering and the wounds and the pains and the isolation 157 00:09:49,700 --> 00:09:53,079 of people so small because we just want to hear the good stuff. 158 00:09:54,980 --> 00:09:57,800 Ruth was a widow. 159 00:10:00,545 --> 00:10:04,145 Yeah, you've heard that a thousand times. No. Ruth was a 160 00:10:04,145 --> 00:10:07,905 widow. She had been married to Killian for ten 161 00:10:07,905 --> 00:10:11,685 years. Anybody in here been married for ten years? 162 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:16,820 Is your life just a little bit entwined with that person's? 163 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:21,139 You love them a little bit? You invested? 164 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,540 Is your heart there? So was Ruth. 165 00:10:26,695 --> 00:10:30,375 So was Ruth. Malin had been her husband for 166 00:10:30,375 --> 00:10:34,215 ten years. She loved this family that God had placed her 167 00:10:34,215 --> 00:10:37,815 in the middle of. You know that she did. I mean, Naomi's calling 168 00:10:37,815 --> 00:10:41,640 them daughters. Daughters. And they're weeping because they 169 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,399 don't want to leave her. That is not normally the the message that mother 170 00:10:45,399 --> 00:10:49,160 in laws have. Guys, I 171 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,995 am so blessed. I have two of the best 172 00:10:52,995 --> 00:10:56,615 daughter in laws in the world. In the world and God 173 00:10:56,675 --> 00:11:00,115 so matched them to my sons. So I 174 00:11:00,115 --> 00:11:03,839 understand that love that you have for 175 00:11:03,839 --> 00:11:07,200 daughters that weren't born of you, but were sent to 176 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,800 you. And I'm so grateful for Kate. And I'm so grateful 177 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:14,180 for Rachel, because my sons needed 178 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:18,045 them. They complete our family. This is 179 00:11:18,045 --> 00:11:21,805 what I see with Ruth and Orpah. This is her family. These are her 180 00:11:21,805 --> 00:11:25,585 girls. And she tells them, she says, I don't have anything to offer you. 181 00:11:26,285 --> 00:11:29,965 I don't have anything. I've lost my husband and I've lost my 182 00:11:29,965 --> 00:11:33,550 sons. I don't have anything for you. Go 183 00:11:33,550 --> 00:11:37,390 home. Go home to your parents. And they cry and they say, 184 00:11:37,390 --> 00:11:41,150 we're not gonna leave. And eventually Orpah decides to go and be 185 00:11:41,150 --> 00:11:44,770 with her family. And Ruth says, I will not leave you. 186 00:11:45,404 --> 00:11:49,005 I will not leave you. And that's where we see that passage of scripture where 187 00:11:49,005 --> 00:11:52,845 you go, I will go. Your people will be my people and 188 00:11:52,845 --> 00:11:56,204 your God will be my God. And in that 189 00:11:56,204 --> 00:12:00,010 moment, in that moment, in this first chapter, 190 00:12:00,010 --> 00:12:03,530 this first season that we are learning about Ruth, I 191 00:12:03,530 --> 00:12:07,310 believe what we see is she walks through pain and suffering 192 00:12:07,690 --> 00:12:11,235 and loss and mourning. And God 193 00:12:11,235 --> 00:12:14,995 sends her an ally. God places an ally in 194 00:12:14,995 --> 00:12:18,695 her life. God will send you an unexpected 195 00:12:18,995 --> 00:12:22,515 ally in those moments when you need them the 196 00:12:22,515 --> 00:12:26,310 most, when you just need them. But I believe the whole 197 00:12:26,310 --> 00:12:29,770 thing shifts with the words, your God 198 00:12:30,230 --> 00:12:33,830 shall be my God. Because from that moment 199 00:12:33,830 --> 00:12:37,290 forward, it went Ruth was no longer a Moabite. 200 00:12:38,145 --> 00:12:41,685 She was a follower of Jehovah. And let me tell you something. 201 00:12:41,825 --> 00:12:45,425 When you invite Jehovah onto the scene in your hard 202 00:12:45,425 --> 00:12:48,865 places, when you decide to trust him in those 203 00:12:48,865 --> 00:12:52,380 moments, everything changes. Everything 204 00:12:52,380 --> 00:12:55,740 changes, but you've got to go, God, you will be my 205 00:12:55,740 --> 00:12:59,339 God. Even in this hardest of place. Even in this 206 00:12:59,339 --> 00:13:03,120 field that I don't want to be in. In my grief, in my mourning, 207 00:13:03,260 --> 00:13:06,720 in my suffering, in my pain, with these wounds, 208 00:13:07,105 --> 00:13:10,485 with these scars. You are still God. 209 00:13:11,265 --> 00:13:14,565 You are God. And that is the season 210 00:13:14,945 --> 00:13:18,785 so often we find ourselves in. Places that are hard and 211 00:13:18,785 --> 00:13:22,280 unexpected and that we don't want to walk in. And I'll begin to go, Lord, 212 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,880 show me how she walked this out. Coming out of those 213 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:29,640 hard fields, out of those hard places. Lord, teach me so 214 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,320 that I know how to do this. And I think it is so 215 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:37,154 key that in that moment, the most wounded of them all, the one who 216 00:13:37,154 --> 00:13:40,915 had lost her husband, lost her sons, makes 217 00:13:40,915 --> 00:13:44,615 a decision to go home. Makes a decision 218 00:13:45,075 --> 00:13:46,135 to go home. 219 00:13:49,075 --> 00:13:52,670 Some of us have stayed in the field of 220 00:13:52,670 --> 00:13:56,510 wounds too long. Some of us have stayed in the 221 00:13:56,510 --> 00:14:00,269 lands of loss for too long, and it's 222 00:14:00,269 --> 00:14:03,955 time to turn our heart toward home. Now I'm not talking 223 00:14:03,955 --> 00:14:07,795 about Coalfield, because I ain't going back there. But I'm 224 00:14:07,795 --> 00:14:11,475 talking about I'll drive by and 225 00:14:11,475 --> 00:14:15,235 wave, but, I'm talking about a hard 226 00:14:15,235 --> 00:14:18,740 place, a hard position, a community 227 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:22,880 that God has surrounded you with. See, because she had 228 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:26,640 community, Naomi had community back home. We know 229 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:30,340 that because when she goes back, she's got more than one relative. She's got 230 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:34,135 people, And we're going to see that unfold a little bit later. So she decides 231 00:14:34,135 --> 00:14:37,675 to go home. Some of us need to decide to go home 232 00:14:37,895 --> 00:14:41,735 and stop isolating. You know, you can be in the room, but 233 00:14:41,735 --> 00:14:45,480 not of the room. You can be in the space and not 234 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:48,860 participate. If your heart is wounded and hard and hurt, 235 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:53,240 let your guard down. Let healing start. And so what we see, 236 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,700 which I think is wonderful, God starts a process 237 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:00,785 in Ruth's life. They move back to Bethlehem and 238 00:15:00,785 --> 00:15:04,305 Judah and she begins to listen to 239 00:15:04,305 --> 00:15:07,524 Naomi, this heart friend in this season. 240 00:15:08,384 --> 00:15:11,985 You know, I just said God will send you allies, he will send friendships into 241 00:15:11,985 --> 00:15:15,480 your life, and they are in your life for seasons. 242 00:15:16,259 --> 00:15:19,720 I didn't understand that when I was young. I had friends and 243 00:15:19,940 --> 00:15:23,379 close heart friends when I was young, or over 244 00:15:23,379 --> 00:15:27,195 time. And I just knew, man, that Jan was going 245 00:15:27,195 --> 00:15:30,635 to be my best friend until the day that I passed, and we would sit 246 00:15:30,635 --> 00:15:34,235 on our front porch and we would watch our grandchildren grow up. Well that wasn't 247 00:15:34,235 --> 00:15:37,855 the case. God sends people into your life with purpose, 248 00:15:38,075 --> 00:15:40,335 and most of the time it's for a season. 249 00:15:42,450 --> 00:15:45,890 In my life, in school season, Jan was 250 00:15:45,890 --> 00:15:49,490 it. Jan kept me grounded. She made me 251 00:15:49,490 --> 00:15:53,250 study. She made straight As and I couldn't let her beat 252 00:15:53,250 --> 00:15:56,755 me. And so she challenged me academically, she 253 00:15:56,755 --> 00:16:00,435 challenged me as a friend and grounded me. And in 254 00:16:00,435 --> 00:16:03,895 that season that was wonderful, that season ended, 255 00:16:04,275 --> 00:16:08,120 but I still love her. She's still a great friend. When 256 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,959 I was a young mom and was really, really, really, really, and 257 00:16:11,959 --> 00:16:15,740 I should say that again, scattered, the Lord gave me Christine lockets. 258 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:19,800 And I tell you what, I don't know that my children would be here without 259 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:23,615 Christine. They she fed them. She took care of them, 260 00:16:23,615 --> 00:16:27,135 she taught me how to be a better mother. In that 261 00:16:27,135 --> 00:16:30,975 season, I needed to know how to navigate motherhood. And let me tell 262 00:16:30,975 --> 00:16:34,815 you something, if you think your hands are full, go be with a 263 00:16:34,815 --> 00:16:38,630 mom who's got three times the kids that you do. And you're like, 264 00:16:38,630 --> 00:16:42,310 thank you God for three children. And she had 265 00:16:42,310 --> 00:16:46,070 nine. She had nine. And she 266 00:16:46,070 --> 00:16:49,830 was the most amazing mom, and she mommed my kids, and she 267 00:16:49,830 --> 00:16:53,015 loved my kids, and she taught me about 268 00:16:53,475 --> 00:16:57,255 parenting in that season. And I thought it would be forever. 269 00:16:57,795 --> 00:17:01,095 But then God moved her to the other side of the country 270 00:17:01,475 --> 00:17:05,250 for other purposes. And then the Lord brought someone into my 271 00:17:05,250 --> 00:17:09,010 life named Dawn Montgomery. And Dawn Montgomery hit my life 272 00:17:09,010 --> 00:17:12,850 at exactly the moment that I needed Dawn Montgomery in my life. She 273 00:17:12,850 --> 00:17:16,230 was nurturing me in I was writing and I was 274 00:17:16,530 --> 00:17:20,135 singing and I was creating music and working in Nashville. 275 00:17:20,434 --> 00:17:23,875 And Dawn, I don't know if you've ever heard her sing, but the girl can 276 00:17:23,875 --> 00:17:27,714 sing. And she is anointed and she 277 00:17:27,714 --> 00:17:30,640 would sit with me at the piano and she'd go, you know, well, have you 278 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,920 thought about this word? Have you thought about that? Or she would encourage me or 279 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,120 she would sing the harmony to it and I would get it. And in that 280 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:40,960 season of my life, I cannot imagine that season 281 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:44,260 of my life without Dawn Montgomery. She taught me 282 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,975 so much. And then the Lord brought Anna 283 00:17:47,975 --> 00:17:51,735 Urias into my life. And Anna Urias is like 284 00:17:51,735 --> 00:17:55,414 trying to run next to a thoroughbred. I have never 285 00:17:55,414 --> 00:17:57,515 felt more donkeyish in my life 286 00:17:59,750 --> 00:18:02,970 When trying to run by Anna, you know, and it wasn't 287 00:18:03,590 --> 00:18:07,430 purposeful. She wasn't that's just who she was and God went in 288 00:18:07,430 --> 00:18:11,190 my spirit went, you know, you can run like that. You know, you can 289 00:18:11,190 --> 00:18:14,895 study like that. You know you can serve like that. 290 00:18:14,895 --> 00:18:18,735 And man, she taught me so much in that season of my 291 00:18:18,735 --> 00:18:22,415 life. And I pray that I blessed her in 292 00:18:22,415 --> 00:18:23,235 that season. 293 00:18:26,270 --> 00:18:29,570 And then the Lord brought Sue Cole into my life. 294 00:18:30,670 --> 00:18:34,430 In the season where I needed an Aaron and a her and a 295 00:18:34,430 --> 00:18:38,270 whole army, I needed somebody in 296 00:18:38,270 --> 00:18:41,995 ministry just to encourage and to do the things that I couldn't 297 00:18:41,995 --> 00:18:45,455 do and to tell me that it was gonna be okay. Anyway, 298 00:18:46,715 --> 00:18:50,095 and so it's my desire. It's my hope. 299 00:18:50,315 --> 00:18:53,970 And I mean my here's the thing, guys. Every 300 00:18:53,970 --> 00:18:57,570 single one of those women who have ministered to me and walked 301 00:18:57,570 --> 00:19:01,330 alongside me in my life, I could call them in a heartbeat and they 302 00:19:01,330 --> 00:19:05,030 would be there. They would be there and I would be there for them. 303 00:19:05,250 --> 00:19:08,885 It isn't that the love goes away. It's that the purpose of the season 304 00:19:08,945 --> 00:19:12,545 has changed. And understand, God is going to 305 00:19:12,545 --> 00:19:16,325 bring people in and out of your life with purpose for a season, 306 00:19:16,625 --> 00:19:20,465 and respect that season. Love them the way that they deserve to 307 00:19:20,465 --> 00:19:23,800 be loved. Allow them to pour into you and to teach you. 308 00:19:24,340 --> 00:19:27,880 That's what Naomi did. Now listen, it's my prayer 309 00:19:28,420 --> 00:19:31,780 that Sue Cole and I get to sit on the beach and watch the kids 310 00:19:31,780 --> 00:19:35,140 play. Because there ain't a whole lot more seasons, you 311 00:19:35,140 --> 00:19:38,885 know? And I I really don't have time to train another friend. 312 00:19:44,945 --> 00:19:48,625 Actually, I think God is going, no. This is the last one you're getting. You 313 00:19:48,625 --> 00:19:52,110 have worn the rest of them out. And but I'm just so 314 00:19:52,110 --> 00:19:55,730 grateful. I'm so grateful for that. And Naomi 315 00:19:56,350 --> 00:20:00,110 was that in this season for Ruth, and she began to 316 00:20:00,110 --> 00:20:03,470 speak wisdom to her. And one of the things that she did, now listen, let 317 00:20:03,470 --> 00:20:07,255 me tell you something. After a painful season, after 318 00:20:07,255 --> 00:20:10,855 a suffering season, just like spring 319 00:20:10,855 --> 00:20:14,534 follows winter, you will enter a season 320 00:20:14,534 --> 00:20:18,315 of gleaning. You will enter a season of gleaning 321 00:20:19,090 --> 00:20:22,770 just like she did. Naomi says, I want you to 322 00:20:22,770 --> 00:20:25,830 go and glean in the fields of Boaz. 323 00:20:26,690 --> 00:20:30,050 See, all it means to glean is to go and see what's left 324 00:20:30,050 --> 00:20:33,845 over. When you come through a hard place, a broken place, 325 00:20:33,845 --> 00:20:36,665 a a place that you did not even think you would survive, 326 00:20:37,925 --> 00:20:41,765 sometimes, most of the time, it's time 327 00:20:41,765 --> 00:20:45,530 to glean the field. See, when you glean a field, you really 328 00:20:45,530 --> 00:20:48,910 are going, okay, this is devastated, Lord. 329 00:20:49,210 --> 00:20:53,050 What's left? What's left? And when you glean a field, to 330 00:20:53,050 --> 00:20:56,510 glean literally means to collect 331 00:20:56,570 --> 00:20:59,924 information, to 332 00:20:59,924 --> 00:21:03,605 extract knowledge, and 333 00:21:03,605 --> 00:21:07,125 to obtain wisdom. To 334 00:21:07,125 --> 00:21:10,745 collect, to extract, and to obtain 335 00:21:11,125 --> 00:21:14,680 wisdom. When you've gone through a hard season that you don't really 336 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,520 understand and you're like, why, God? The best thing you can 337 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:21,820 do in that moment is is to begin to look at your situation 338 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:25,845 and go, okay, Lord. What is the 339 00:21:25,845 --> 00:21:29,605 information, Lord, of this moment? What are you trying to teach me 340 00:21:29,605 --> 00:21:33,385 in this moment, Lord? What can I extract? 341 00:21:34,725 --> 00:21:38,549 What goodness can I extract from this? What can 342 00:21:38,549 --> 00:21:42,169 I pull from this soil of of tears 343 00:21:42,549 --> 00:21:45,690 that I've walked through? What can I obtain? 344 00:21:46,470 --> 00:21:50,070 What is in my hands now that I didn't have before? What have 345 00:21:50,070 --> 00:21:53,865 I obtained through this season of 346 00:21:53,865 --> 00:21:57,625 pain? If you will collect information, if you 347 00:21:57,625 --> 00:22:01,304 will extract the knowledge of the moment, and if you will take what you 348 00:22:01,304 --> 00:22:05,144 have learned and what you've experienced and allow God to 349 00:22:05,144 --> 00:22:08,690 turn it into wisdom, It will give you something 350 00:22:08,910 --> 00:22:12,750 when you leave a hard season. It will put something in your hands that 351 00:22:12,750 --> 00:22:16,429 you didn't have when you went in. See, so often we get so focused on 352 00:22:16,429 --> 00:22:19,630 what was taken out of our hand that we can't see what he has put 353 00:22:19,630 --> 00:22:22,245 in it as we've taken this journey. 354 00:22:25,665 --> 00:22:29,345 So, from wounded places to places 355 00:22:29,345 --> 00:22:33,185 of gleaning, Lord, what can you teach me here? What can you show me 356 00:22:33,185 --> 00:22:36,500 here? What can I carry forward in this moment? 357 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:40,800 And the next thing we see her do, she does. She goes and she gleans 358 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:44,480 the field. And then Naomi tells her, I 359 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:48,240 want you to be provided for. I want you to be 360 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,975 taken care of. So I'm going to give you some wisdom here. I want 361 00:22:51,975 --> 00:22:55,575 you to go to the threshing floor. She says, I want you to go wash 362 00:22:55,575 --> 00:22:58,635 your face. Go wash your face. 363 00:22:59,255 --> 00:23:03,060 Put on your best clothes, and then I want you to go to the threshing 364 00:23:03,060 --> 00:23:06,520 floor. Boaz is going to be at the threshing floor tonight, 365 00:23:07,140 --> 00:23:10,980 and he is I want you to watch where he is, and 366 00:23:10,980 --> 00:23:14,260 after he goes and he lays down, I want you to go and I want 367 00:23:14,260 --> 00:23:17,715 you to lay at his feet, lift the blanket, lay at his 368 00:23:17,715 --> 00:23:21,555 feet, get up and wash your face. What does that remind 369 00:23:21,555 --> 00:23:25,235 you of? Didn't David have to get up and go wash his 370 00:23:25,235 --> 00:23:28,995 face? Didn't he have to get up when things didn't go the way 371 00:23:28,995 --> 00:23:32,455 he had prayed, the way he had wanted, and his son dies? 372 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:35,680 There comes a point in time where he had to get up and go wash 373 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,520 his face and move forward. And that is exactly what 374 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,360 Ruth does out of this season of loss and lack and hurt and 375 00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:47,054 wounds. But here's the cool thing, guys. Do you know 376 00:23:47,054 --> 00:23:50,595 that when she goes and she lays down at the feet 377 00:23:51,054 --> 00:23:54,595 of Boaz, she is calling for the kinsman 378 00:23:54,975 --> 00:23:58,035 redeemer. She is calling for the kinsman 379 00:23:58,415 --> 00:24:02,190 redeemer. And you know what's cool about that? For all reasonable purposes 380 00:24:02,250 --> 00:24:05,870 according to this culture, Ruth just asked Boaz to marry her. 381 00:24:06,889 --> 00:24:09,309 So there you go, women. Don't do it. Anyway. 382 00:24:14,455 --> 00:24:18,215 No. God will send him you you are to be pursued. Let 383 00:24:18,215 --> 00:24:21,895 me back up a minute, women. God will send one that will 384 00:24:21,895 --> 00:24:25,495 pursue you and love you with your whole heart, and if they win 385 00:24:25,495 --> 00:24:29,220 you, then go. But, I'm just gonna put 386 00:24:29,220 --> 00:24:30,120 that out there. 387 00:24:33,300 --> 00:24:37,140 The kinsman redeemer. You know that that's the type and shadow 388 00:24:37,140 --> 00:24:40,600 of Jesus. Right? The kinsman redeemer is the closest 389 00:24:40,660 --> 00:24:44,385 relative, and that's who Boaz wasn't the closest relative. There 390 00:24:44,385 --> 00:24:48,065 was one that was closer, but Naomi had said go and do 391 00:24:48,065 --> 00:24:51,745 this, and Boaz will take care of it. He will see that the 392 00:24:51,745 --> 00:24:55,505 matter is settled. He goes to the gate and he invites the the gate 393 00:24:55,505 --> 00:24:59,010 of the city. The man comes who is the other that's closest, and he's like, 394 00:24:59,010 --> 00:25:02,370 I really want the field. And Boaz says, I really want the 395 00:25:02,370 --> 00:25:06,049 woman. In other words, he says, I want 396 00:25:06,049 --> 00:25:09,730 what she has. And Boaz says, I want her and 397 00:25:09,730 --> 00:25:13,525 everything that has to do with her. Everything. 398 00:25:14,225 --> 00:25:18,065 You have a kinsman redeemer who loves you, who 399 00:25:18,065 --> 00:25:21,044 wants everything that you are, 400 00:25:21,424 --> 00:25:24,965 everything that you possess. You know what's wonderful about that? A kinsman 401 00:25:25,025 --> 00:25:28,640 redeemer couldn't be a true kinsman redeemer if he could only afford 402 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:32,080 half of her. If he could only afford to redeem a part of her 403 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,760 debt, if he could only afford to do a little bit, he was 404 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:39,540 it was invalid. He couldn't do it. The kinsman redeemer 405 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:42,955 had to buy it all. The kinsman 406 00:25:43,175 --> 00:25:46,395 redeemer had to redeem it all. 407 00:25:47,015 --> 00:25:50,395 It all. Every debt, every 408 00:25:50,455 --> 00:25:54,295 loss, everything returning her name to her, her 409 00:25:54,295 --> 00:25:57,940 reputation, everything came through the 410 00:25:57,940 --> 00:26:01,620 kinsman redeemer. Guys, you have a 411 00:26:01,620 --> 00:26:05,400 kinsman redeemer. You have a kinsman 412 00:26:05,540 --> 00:26:09,320 redeemer. And it could have stopped there. Guys, come on out if the 413 00:26:10,055 --> 00:26:12,555 worship people. Come on out. 414 00:26:14,135 --> 00:26:16,315 Worship people. That's the technical term. 415 00:26:19,335 --> 00:26:23,059 Musicians and minstrels. Levitical 416 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:24,740 priesthood, come forth. 417 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:31,120 Better? Better? Oh, thou that art anointed by the 418 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:31,620 Lord. 419 00:26:35,164 --> 00:26:37,745 It's getting more and more difficult to call them out. 420 00:26:41,565 --> 00:26:45,164 Sheesh. I'm so 421 00:26:45,164 --> 00:26:48,625 grateful for them. So we watch Ruth go through three seasons. 422 00:26:48,919 --> 00:26:52,440 We watch her go through brokenness, through pain, through tears, through 423 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:56,039 mourning, through loss. Then we watch her go into a gleaning 424 00:26:56,039 --> 00:26:59,640 season where she makes the decision to place 425 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:03,080 herself in a field that is in right proximity to the 426 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,735 master of the field. And she begins to glean, she 427 00:27:06,735 --> 00:27:10,575 begins to gather information, she begins to gather 428 00:27:10,575 --> 00:27:14,335 wisdom, and she begins to move in those things. And 429 00:27:14,335 --> 00:27:18,034 in her third season, guys, when you have been through this, 430 00:27:18,460 --> 00:27:22,140 find you a place at His feet. Male or female, this isn't a 431 00:27:22,140 --> 00:27:25,900 male or female thing, this is a heart posture. Find a 432 00:27:25,900 --> 00:27:29,660 place. When the Lord is revealing things to you about what you just went 433 00:27:29,660 --> 00:27:33,465 through, go sit at His feet and go, God, show 434 00:27:33,465 --> 00:27:37,225 me what to do with this. I'm still broken and I'm still wounded and 435 00:27:37,225 --> 00:27:40,765 I'm still healing. But God, I know that you can change this. 436 00:27:41,705 --> 00:27:45,545 Find some time at his feet. And he will show 437 00:27:45,545 --> 00:27:49,300 you what to do with what you've been through. And see, 438 00:27:49,300 --> 00:27:52,760 not only does Boaz redeem this, not only does God 439 00:27:52,900 --> 00:27:56,740 redeem this time, that would have been enough. It would 440 00:27:56,740 --> 00:27:59,880 have been enough for him to redeem Ruth and to redeem, 441 00:28:00,580 --> 00:28:04,205 Naomi. But God always does exceedingly abundantly 442 00:28:04,345 --> 00:28:08,105 above, doesn't he? He always adds more. And so you wanna 443 00:28:08,105 --> 00:28:09,725 see something beautiful here. 444 00:28:11,625 --> 00:28:15,065 Boaz marries Ruth. And 445 00:28:15,065 --> 00:28:18,150 then God gives Ruth and Boaz 446 00:28:18,690 --> 00:28:21,830 a son. And this son, 447 00:28:22,370 --> 00:28:25,670 the whole community rejoices. Because 448 00:28:25,890 --> 00:28:29,430 Naomi went away broken and she came back full. 449 00:28:29,970 --> 00:28:33,595 And this community, these people that God took her 450 00:28:33,595 --> 00:28:37,035 back to, helped her name her son. Name this 451 00:28:37,035 --> 00:28:40,715 grandson, and they named him Obed. And 452 00:28:40,715 --> 00:28:44,175 Obed means worship. Obed means worship. 453 00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:48,260 When you've been through the fields, when you've been through the gleaning, when you've 454 00:28:48,260 --> 00:28:52,020 been at his feet, it just might be time to worship. It 455 00:28:52,020 --> 00:28:55,700 just might be time to go thank you God for what you brought me 456 00:28:55,700 --> 00:28:59,254 through in this. And that would have been enough, right? 457 00:28:59,875 --> 00:29:03,475 Obed is born. But then there's God. And so you know what 458 00:29:03,475 --> 00:29:06,835 happens next? Obed gives birth to 459 00:29:06,835 --> 00:29:10,195 Jesse. He and his wife have a son. They name him 460 00:29:10,195 --> 00:29:13,790 Jesse. And then Jesse and his wife have a 461 00:29:13,790 --> 00:29:17,550 son and they name him David. And we 462 00:29:17,550 --> 00:29:21,170 are singing the songs of worship 463 00:29:21,550 --> 00:29:24,770 that the grandson of Ruth, the grandson 464 00:29:26,190 --> 00:29:29,895 was birthed into this place. You serve 465 00:29:29,895 --> 00:29:33,675 a God who does exceedingly, abundantly above 466 00:29:33,975 --> 00:29:37,515 what you can think or ask. If you will take those hard places, 467 00:29:37,735 --> 00:29:41,510 those changing seasons that you do not understand. If you will glean 468 00:29:41,510 --> 00:29:45,350 and learn the wisdom of those moments and then take them and 469 00:29:45,350 --> 00:29:48,950 lay them at His feet and entrust Him to do what only He can 470 00:29:48,950 --> 00:29:52,630 do. Worship Him. And 471 00:29:52,630 --> 00:29:54,890 generations, generations, 472 00:29:56,804 --> 00:30:00,404 generations will be changed, will be 473 00:30:00,404 --> 00:30:03,304 affected. That's the opportunity 474 00:30:04,164 --> 00:30:08,005 we have when our seasons are in 475 00:30:08,005 --> 00:30:11,225 the hand of our kinsman redeemer. 476 00:30:12,290 --> 00:30:15,510 Amen? You wanna hear a really cool little fact? 477 00:30:16,370 --> 00:30:19,890 David, this grandson, because of the 478 00:30:19,890 --> 00:30:23,650 Bibles that have been published, the hymns that have been written, all 479 00:30:23,650 --> 00:30:26,745 of these things. He is the top selling 480 00:30:27,605 --> 00:30:30,585 musician and artist of all time. 481 00:30:36,805 --> 00:30:40,470 Still today. So we're we're gonna take an opportunity if you would 482 00:30:40,470 --> 00:30:44,230 stand. I'm gonna 483 00:30:44,230 --> 00:30:47,990 invite some elders and leaders to come down and 484 00:30:47,990 --> 00:30:51,670 be available for prayer. But even more than 485 00:30:51,670 --> 00:30:55,255 that, if you are one of the ones in this room 486 00:30:55,255 --> 00:30:58,855 that I know are in here. And the beginning of this song 487 00:30:58,855 --> 00:31:02,534 says, this is where I lay it down. This is where I lay it 488 00:31:02,534 --> 00:31:05,515 down. Can you come lay it down? 489 00:31:06,294 --> 00:31:09,799 The season you're in, the place you've been stuck, 490 00:31:10,100 --> 00:31:13,700 the hope that you're waiting for. Your time is 491 00:31:13,700 --> 00:31:17,160 now. It's time to worship. Father, give us wisdom. 492 00:31:17,860 --> 00:31:20,120 Encourage in Jesus name. Amen.