Faith in the Midst of Darkness Ruth 1 Jeremy Bell 1. Bitterness blinds us to God’s grace 2. We can fully trust Him in all things, even when things look bleak Questions for Discussion/Application: *Consider taking time to read Ruth 1 out loud. What initial insights or observations of the text do you have? *Jeremy at the outset gave the context of the book of Ruth. Take time to consider the context together as a group. What was the situation of Israel at the time (Judges 21:25)? What was the situation of Naomi? *Naomi’s situation was clearly extremely trying and difficult. She experienced much sorrow. How would you describe her attitude as revealed in verses 20-21? *What is bitterness? When we experience trials and difficulty, why do you think we can be so tempted towards bitterness? *How can remembering the gospel keep us from bitterness? *He can remembering the sovereignty of God in our lives help protect us from bitterness as well? *As an application of the text, Jeremy said, ” We can fully trust Him in all things, even when things look bleak.” How does the book of Ruth, the story of Ruth point us to this reality? *How are you doing today with trusting God with the situations and circumstances in your life that are particularly difficult for you? How can we pray for you as a group? *Read the Cowper quote from above drawn from the hymn “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” *Consider taking time to pray, that God would help us to trust in His sovereign plan and in his goodness, even in the face of trials and difficulties and things we don’t understand.