RUTH 3
TAKING THE STEP OF FAITH

Big idea
•	We can know just how much we need Christ and how generous and gracious he is – but we still need to go to him and put our trust in him if we are going to benefit from that knowledge.

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I want to begin this morning with a question:
	How easy do you find it to ask for things?

It might be for help – it might be for something you feel you need – it might be something you want:
	How easy do you find it to ask for things?

Traditionally, if you’re British – or more specifically, English – you may find it difficult to ask for things.

Asking for something might be seen as a sign of weakness – it might be seen as taking liberties with the person you’re asking –
	But, traditionally at least, many people in this country prefer to suffer in silence rather than ask for help.

One illustration of this is in our love of queuing –
	Of standing in line quietly waiting for something, rather than asserting our rights and demanding service outright.

Another illustration comes in an episode of the seventies comedy, Fawlty Towers.

In this particular episode, Basil Fawlty – the manager of Fawlty Towers hotel – is treating everyone terribly (as usual):
	The soup is cold – the food orders are all wrong – and Basil himself is being rude to all his guests.

But when he asks his English guests how their meals are, they all reply: 
	“Lovely!  Thank you, Mr Fawlty!” – and insist that they’re having a good time.

It takes a loud American guest at the hotel to complain to Basil about the service – and only then do the rest of the guests join in, much to Basil’s annoyance!

Apparently, John Cleese wrote the episode from his own observation that English people are so reluctant to complain or to ask for anything –
	And because of that reluctance, hotel owners like Basil Fawlty can have a field day with them!

Another example of this condemnation of asking for things, comes in the Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist.

(If you’ve not read it, don’t worry – I’ve only seen the musical on TV myself…) 

The most famous scene in the book comes at the beginning, when the young orphan Oliver is in a workhouse.
	At meal time, Oliver has eaten the little gruel that’s been offered him – but still hungry, and naïve enough to try, he goes back to his masters and asks for more.

More!
	Oliver’s request is met with shock and indignation!

He is quickly told that just isn’t done in polite society:
	That people don’t just ask for things!

And Oliver is punished for doing so.

The attitude of Basil Fawlty’s guests and of the workhouse in Oliver Twist is an attitude that continues for many people, right up to today.

Don’t be too forward!  Don’t be too demanding!  Don’t bring attention to yourself and keep asking for things!

And there are good reasons for this attitude:
	Often, people who claim to be assertive can quickly become obnoxious and difficult.

Part of growing up and maturing is realising that we can’t expect to get everything we want.
	Part of life in this world is learning to cope with that fact.

But as John Cleese and Charles Dickens both observed in their different ways, we can take that attitude too far.
	By refusing to ask for things, we simply don’t get – and we can be exploited by people as a result.

In Ruth chapter 3, we meet two women who are compelled to be far more assertive than their culture or their own personalities inclined them to be!

Ruth 3 is where Naomi and Ruth spring into action and ask for the help they need to get out of the dire situation they are in as two widows, living alone in Israel 3,000 years ago!

In asking for that help, they may have seemed too forward to many in Israel in their day –
	But the God of Israel rewarded them for it, as we’ll see in the rest of this story!

You see, the God of Israel – the God in whom Christians today place their trust – is a God who invites us to ask him for things.

God’s Son, Jesus, made that clear while he was on earth:
	Here are some famous words of his, from Matthew 7:7-11:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
	Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

You see what Jesus is saying here to his followers?

Because your Father in heaven is good (unlike us!), we can trust him to give good things to his children!

So – ask God for what you need!
	Seek for him!
	Knock, and he will open the door!

Jesus is telling his followers that they are foolish if they don’t ask for help from this great God!

Now, this raises a few questions:
	Does that mean we can ask for anything, and God will give it to us?

Does this mean that if we trust in God, he will give us everything we desire?

These are important questions – and we’re going to come back to them later.

But for now, we need to see that Jesus tells his followers that it is right for them to go to God and ask for his help –
	Because God has revealed himself to be a good and loving Father!

What has all this got to do with Ruth chapter 3, that we’ve just had read to us?

Well, we’ve come to the turning point in this book:
	This is the point when Naomi calls on Ruth to act on all she knows of Boaz so far!

In vv.1-4 of Ruth 3, Naomi calls on Ruth to respond to all the kindness and generosity Boaz showed to her in chapter 2 –
	To go to Boaz – and to ask him to help them!

We’re going to see that Ruth cannot afford to be too reserved or backward here:
	Instead, she is called to a courageous, risk-taking step of faith in going to Boaz and asking him basically to marry her.

And in that step of faith, Ruth has much to teach us this morning about:
•	What biblical faith looks like –
•	And how we can benefit from all that Christ has done for us in our lives!

Throughout this series, we’ve seen that the story of Ruth and Boaz is a picture of God’s dealings with his people:
	First, with Israel, the people of God in the Old Testament –
	And now, with Christians, with those who trust in Christ.

In chapter 1, Ruth’s decision to stay with Naomi and return to Bethlehem with her was the first step in Ruth coming to know Naomi’s God –
	The LORD, the covenant God of Israel!

This was a bold and courageous decision –
	But one that God began to reward in chapter 2, as Ruth met Boaz!

Boaz was a wealthy farmer – a relation of Naomi’s – and a man who demonstrated great generosity and care towards Ruth as she worked in his field.

Boaz showed Ruth kindness that went far beyond what the law required –
	And in so doing, demonstrated God’s hand at work through him, blessing Ruth and Naomi!

We also saw last week that Boaz’s kindness towards Ruth was a picture of God’s love for his people:

A lavish love – an undeserved love – a love that goes far beyond the law, and that graciously welcomes people into the family of God!

Boaz the farmer was a picture of God’s love and grace in chapter 2:
	
In chapter 3, Boaz takes on the role of potential husband for Ruth and rescuer for Naomi!
	And in this, too, he is a picture of the God who loves to rescue and redeem sinful people!

More than that, in chapter 3, I want to suggest that Boaz becomes more and more a picture for us of Jesus Christ and his love for his people –
	While Ruth is a picture of someone coming to Christ in faith! 

Let me just say that when we’re dealing with narrative in the Bible – with a story like Ruth – we need to be careful.

Not every aspect of Ruth’s encounter with Boaz on the threshing floor will apply to a believer coming to faith in Christ.

But I hope we will see that God has included this story of Ruth and Boaz in his word for a reason –
	And that, like the rest of the Old Testament, Christians can say along with the apostle Paul that it is written “for us” – to teach us important and life-giving truths about the God in whom we trust! (see 1 Cor 10:11)

When we turn to chapter 4 next week, we’re going to focus more on the book of Ruth’s place in salvation history –
	In God’s plan throughout history to send his Son Jesus into the world.

This week, I want us to focus on how Ruth’s encounter with Boaz in chapter 3 can help us understand important things about 
•	the Saviour Christians trust in –
•	and what the right response to him looks like!

Turning to this chapter then, there are lots of things to learn about Ruth and Boaz here –
	But the chapter begins with Naomi.

Naomi has been pretty quiet since chapter 1.
	There, she bitterly complained that God’s hand was against her.

In chapter 2, she begins to change her mind in the light of Boaz’s kindness towards Ruth –
	And here in vv.1-4, Naomi springs into action on behalf of her daughter-in-law!

Read v.1.

The harvest in Bethlehem probably lasted about seven weeks – and in that time, we can guess that Ruth and Boaz would have seen quite a bit of each other, as she was now working in his fields.

Perhaps they would have had opportunities to talk again together, as they did in chapter 2 on the first day they met.
	But now, the harvest was coming to an end, and the gathered wheat and barley was being taken to the threshing floors.

Naomi knew what this meant:
	There would soon be no more opportunities for Ruth and Boaz to meet and talk – so Naomi chooses to act!

To Naomi, this was:
•	An opportunity not to be missed (vv.1-6)

Naomi knew – as did Ruth – that without Boaz and his generosity towards them, the two widows were helpless!

Up to this point, Boaz has been a generous employer to Ruth:
	Now, Naomi hopes that he will want to become a loving husband to her daughter-in-law!

To achieve that goal, in vv.2-4, Naomi urges Ruth to wash and perfume herself, put on her best clothes and go to Boaz on the threshing floor that night.

Time was of the essence, and Naomi reasoned that a night-time meeting was the only opportunity Ruth would have of asking Boaz to help her,
	by marrying Ruth and bringing her into his home.

Naomi comes across as a bit of a cunning matchmaker here – 
	And certainly her methods were unorthodox and very, very risky!

Read vv.3-4.

Let’s be clear here:
	If Ruth were found by anyone other than Boaz at the threshing floor, she could be mistaken for a prostitute and she could have been in terrible danger.
	At the very least, her reputation in Bethlehem would have been ruined.

And there was no guarantee as to how Boaz would respond to Ruth’s request.
	
He might reject Ruth out of hand – 
	he might have been angry at her presumptiveness in asking him to marry her – normally, that was the man’s job!

Boaz might even have taken advantage of Ruth: 
	with no-one else around, he might have shown himself to be a very different man to his public appearance.

Naomi’s plan involved Ruth placing herself in a potentially dangerous situation – and Ruth would have known this!

But see v.5 – ‘I will do whatever you say’.

Ruth is willing to take this risk for Naomi’s sake!
	Ruth demonstrates here both her ongoing devotion to her mother-in-law – and her tremendous courage!

•	A step that required courage! (vv.7-9)

In spite of the risk of scandal – in spite of what others might think of her – in spite of the fear of rejection or worse –
	Ruth did as her mother-in-law requested.

Read v.6.

This is remarkable faithfulness to Naomi – and remarkable courage on the part of Ruth.
	And the original readers would have been amazed once more as they pondered that the woman who was doing all this wasn’t an Israelite like them, but from Moab, their hated neighbouring country!

The writer of Ruth takes his time over this one night at the threshing floor:
	He knows just how important it is to all his main characters – and so he ratchets up the suspense a bit!

Read v.7.

At last, Boaz appears – and Ruth is ready for him!

He goes to lie down at ‘the far end of the grain pile’, far from prying eyes – and he falls asleep.
	Ruth approaches quietly – uncovers his feet – and lies down herself.

All seems to be going according to plan, except…
	Boaz goes on sleeping! 

v.7 tells us he had been eating and drinking well – that he was ‘in good spirits’ as he faced the end of the harvest –
	and so he goes out like a light and doesn’t wake up when Ruth lies at his feet!

v.8 begins after quite some time has passed – perhaps several hours –
	it is now ‘the middle of the night’.

You can imagine some of the thoughts that might have gone through Ruth’s mind as she lay at Boaz’s feet while he slept on:
	“Naomi didn’t warn me about this…!”

“What happens if he just sleeps through the night?  I’ll have to leave before the other workers wake up!”
	
“If he doesn’t wake up soon, I might never get the chance to talk to him again!”

There seems to be a real danger that Boaz will just sleep through the night – and that Ruth will miss her chance to ask him to help her!

But then, in v.8, something happens:
	Read v.8.

‘Something startled the man’
	This is a very similar phrase to chapter 2 verse 3 – ‘As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz.’

I want to suggest that the ‘something’ that startled Boaz in the middle of the night was God – gently and behind the scenes ensuring that Ruth got to make her request.
	v.8 is another of those strange little coincidences that occur throughout Ruth, to show us as readers that God is at work in this story!

The startled Boaz turned and, as another translation puts it – ‘behold, a woman lay at his feet!’ (ESV)
	Clearly, not something that had happened before to Boaz!

Boaz is now wide awake!
	He can’t see in the dark yet who it is at his feet – but now Ruth has the opportunity to make her request!

Read v.9.

Finally, Ruth makes her request –
	And notice how she goes beyond what Naomi tells her to say.

Naomi is concerned to find a home for Ruth – she wants Ruth to ask Boaz to marry her.

But Ruth is also concerned for Naomi – and so she addresses Boaz not only as a potential husband for herself, but as Naomi’s relative and ‘kinsman redeemer’.

A kinsman-redeemer was a relative who could take care of both individuals and property on behalf of someone who had died.
	And Ruth knew that Naomi needed to be cared for, as well as herself.

Ruth’s request was courageous enough when it was just to ask Boaz to marry her and take care of her.
	But in asking Boaz to take on the role of kinsman redeemer as well as husband, Ruth is demonstrating her commitment to care for Naomi as well as for herself!

No wonder Boaz praises Ruth in v.11 for her ‘noble character’!
	
Even her growing love for Boaz and her desire to be his wife cannot lead Ruth to forget or neglect the old woman she had followed from Moab to Bethlehem – 
	The women she had solemnly sworn in chapter 1 never to leave!

Ruth shows herself to be a remarkably courageous and loving woman at the threshing floor.
	We also learn a lot about Boaz here!

First of all, in vv.10-11 we find out once and for all that Boaz loves Ruth!

•	The joy of Boaz! (vv.10-11)

Up to now, Boaz has kept his feelings hidden – he has been the perfect gentleman towards Ruth.
	But his response to Ruth’s request to marry her shows just how much she means to him.

Read v.10.

Boaz is quite a bit older than Ruth – and that seems to have kept him from making any advances towards her.
	But now Ruth has come to him and asked for his love and protection, Boaz is overjoyed!

Boaz loves Ruth!
	v.10-11 leave us in no doubt about that!

But we see also here in these verses:
•	The faithfulness of Boaz (vv.12-13)

Everything seems to be going swimmingly for Ruth and Boaz up to v.12
	Ruth wants to become Boaz’s wife – and Boaz wants to marry Ruth!

We’re heading towards a happy ending!

BUT –
	 then in v.12 a spanner is thrown in the works.
	Read vv.12-13.

Just as the writer of Ruth hid the existence of Boaz from us in chapter 1, so now he reveals a second, closer kinsman-redeemer to the story.
	And this kinsman-redeemer could ruin all Ruth and Boaz’s hopes!

A large obstacle has arisen to block Ruth and Boaz’s marriage – and it needs to be overcome!

Boaz risks losing Ruth by resolving to confront this other kinsman-redeemer and do things ‘by the book’.

It must have been tempting for him just to marry Ruth quickly and forget about this other man –
	After all, this other man doesn’t seem to have been aware or interested in fulfilling any obligation to marry Ruth and redeem Naomi from poverty.

But Boaz is a faithful man – 
	and he is determined to do the right thing by Naomi – by Ruth – even by this unnamed other kinsman redeemer!

We’ll see next week in chapter 4 how Boaz goes about overcoming this obstacle…

Boaz also shows his faithfulness to God and his integrity, in treating Ruth with absolute purity and honour during this night at the threshing floor.

Men and women had the same sexual urges 3,000 years ago that they have today –
	Just look at someone like Samson in the book of Judges, who lived around the same time as Boaz and Ruth, and who had a great weakness for attractive women and even prostitutes.

It must have been tempting for both Ruth and Boaz to exploit the privacy of their meeting to consummate the marriage they were both hoping would happen soon anyway – to just sleep together on a night when no-one else was around.  
	But they didn’t!

Both Boaz and Ruth remained pure that night – 
	both demonstrated their integrity and trust in the God of Israel and his ways –

and even the original readership of Ruth would have been impressed by that!

Finally, here we see:
•	The care of Boaz (vv.14-18)

Ruth has spent the night sleeping at the threshing floor –
	Boaz knew that it would have been too dangerous to send a lone woman to walk home in the middle of the night.

But Boaz cares not only for Ruth’s safety – but her reputation as well. 
	He sends her home ‘before anyone could be recognised’ (v.14) – Boaz cares about Ruth and wishes to preserve her hard-won reputation in Bethlehem as ‘a woman of noble character’.

He doesn’t send her home empty-handed, though!
	In v.15, Boaz shows himself to be extremely generous again, by giving Ruth ‘six measures of barley’ for her to take home to Naomi.

It seems as if Boaz just cannot help himself with Ruth – he just has to give her gifts of grain! 

And as Ruth returns home to Naomi with this gift and with a report of all that has happened in vv.16-17, Naomi is confident in v.18:
	‘The man will not rest until the matter is settled today.’

Boaz shows his care for Ruth and Naomi again in his commitment to resolve things quickly – and to seek to overcome the obstacle of the other kinsman-redeemer.

Boaz’s joyful response to Ruth, and the faithfulness and care he demonstrates towards her, were all that Naomi and Ruth could have hoped for!

Ruth’s courage in going to Boaz for help seems to have paid off!
	We will see what happened next when we turn to chapter 4, next week.

We said at the outset that Ruth’s encounter with Boaz here can be seen as a helpful picture of someone going to Jesus Christ and putting their trust in him.

So – how does this story apply to the relationship between a believer and Christ?

Again, we need to be careful here.
	Not every detail of this story will apply to the believer’s relationship with Christ –
	But a lot of it does!

Throughout the Bible, the biblical writers use a number of pictures to illustrate God’s relationship with his people.

A common example of these pictures is the idea that God is like a Father, and his people are his children.

Another common illustration the Bible uses is to liken God to a husband – and his people to his beloved wife.
	The love between a man and a woman is frequently used to describe the love between God and his people!

In the book of Hosea, for instance, Israel’s sin is likened to adultery
	In worshipping other gods, Israel has rejected her faithful husband the LORD and basically slept around – Israel was married to God, but she was unfaithful!

This picture of God’s love for his people being like a man’s love for his wife is updated in the New Testament in Ephesians chapter 5.

There, husbands are told to love their wives ‘as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her’
	Christ’s love for his church is the standard for Christian husbands – because according to Paul, Christ is the perfect and passionate loving husband!

So any time the Bible describes a loving husband – a man marked by faithfulness and integrity in his love for a woman – we can see something of Christ’s love for his church!

We can see Christ in Boaz’s love for Ruth –
	And we can see ‘the church’ – we can see individual believers, in Ruth’s decision to go to Boaz in chapter 3! 

So – what can we learn here about Christ and the church?

The believer and Christ
•	An opportunity not to be missed

Ruth and Naomi both knew that they needed Boaz to rescue them from poverty and to provide for them by chapter 3.
	Boaz was their only hope of a secure and happy life in Bethlehem!

In chapter 2, Boaz had shown himself to be generous – gracious – and willing and able to help them!
	Now Ruth had to respond to all she knew of Boaz – and go to him for help!

Ruth knew she needed Boaz!
	She knew that Boaz was generous and gracious!

But she still needed to take the step of going to him and asking him to help her!

And it’s the same with us, when we learn something of who Jesus Christ is!

Once we realise just how gracious and loving and forgiving Jesus is – then we need to act on that knowledge!

If we don’t act on our knowledge of Jesus –
	If we know that he is loving and gracious, but we don’t go to him and place our trust in him –
	Then we are lost!

The Bible is clear –
	Life is short!

As Hebrews 4:7 puts it:
	Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts!

Naomi and Ruth recognised the terrible consequences if they missed out on Boaz’s love and care for them –
	Our situation is far worse if we miss out on coming to Christ!

We need to recognise that without Christ, we completely lost!
	We are spiritually dead – and we are headed for hell and an eternity without God!

Ruth is a reminder to us here –
	If you have encountered anything of Christ’s goodness and grace in your life – if you know anything of who he is and his great love for sinful people like us –
	Then go to him!  Don’t waste another minute!

The opportunity to put our trust in Christ is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss!

As with Ruth’s journey to the threshing floor, however, any decision to put our trust in Christ is:
•	A step that requires courage!

Ruth risked scandal and her own safety to go to Boaz to ask for his love and help.
	Her reputation could have been ruined if she had been found out.

It’s perhaps a great irony that in our society, a woman visiting a man in the middle of the night isn’t that scandalous any more.
	It’s far more scandalous in our society for a man or a woman to declare that from now on, they will follow Christ!

To the outside world, and to many of our friends and family members, it looks like madness to follow Jesus!
	So to take that step requires courage on our part!

Some people will think we are throwing our lives away by seeking to live for Christ.
	They will pity us.

Others will treat us with suspicion and contempt for calling ourselves Christians.

It is a scandalous thing in this society to say that I follow Jesus!

Our church currently has the word ‘evangelical’ in its name:
	We may well change that in the near future, to avoid misunderstandings with people who only hear the negative connotations of that word.

I would fully support a name-change –
	But I also believe that there is something useful for us as a church to bear a name that is hated and that arouses suspicion, like ‘evangelical’ –
	Because that is part of the Christian life!

Following Jesus Christ will provoke opposition in this world!

e.g. even on Friday, I was giving out posters and flyers to some local primary schools for our holiday bible club this year.
	And at one of the schools I visited, I got a really frosty reception when I said I was from a church, wanting to advertise a Christian club for children.

I walked away from that school feeling pretty rubbish – 
	And that is only a very minor example of the opposition we might face for following Jesus –
	At work – at home – even from government.

Choosing to follow Jesus is a step that requires courage –
	And continuing to follow Jesus will take courage!

We need to acknowledge that – and keep asking God to give us the courage we need to live for him!

But having thought about what the example of Ruth tells us is involved in actually going to Christ and putting our trust in him –
	Let’s finish with what the example of Boaz tells us about the reception we will receive from Christ when we go to him!

We need to see and be encouraged by the fact that Jesus is overjoyed when we place our trust in him!

•	The joy of Christ!

Jesus’ joy at people coming to him comes not from a sense of surprise, as Boaz’s did –
	It comes from a passionate desire that lost people be found and brought into a relationship with his heavenly Father!

Jesus’ joy at people coming to faith is an extravagant, wonderful joy!
	He taught his disciples in Luke 15 that ‘there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents’ (v.10).

If you are a Christian here this morning, there was a huge celebration in heaven the day you came to faith!
	Jesus rejoices that you now belong to him!

And if you are not a Christian here this morning, there is a huge celebration waiting to happen – if you will only come to Jesus and put your life in his hands!

We can also see in Boaz a picture of 
•	The faithfulness of Christ!

Boaz recognised the obstacle to his marriage to Ruth – this other kinsman redeemer – and he resolved to overcome it!

It’s the same with Jesus!
	There is a terrible obstacle that needs to be overcome if we are to have a relationship with the God who made us:
	And that obstacle is sin and death!

Our sin means we cannot live in relationship with God!
	And the penalty of our sin – death – means that without Christ we will be cut off from God forever!

These are terrible obstacles –
	But Jesus overcame them!  At the cross he conquered sin – and at the resurrection he conquered death!

Jesus’ faithfulness means that there is no longer any obstacle in the way of us knowing God – 
	If we will only go to him!  If we will only ask him to make us right with God!

Then there is:
•	The care of Christ!

Jesus Christ cares for his people!

Ruth took the risky step of going to Boaz – and she was richly rewarded by Boaz for it!

We too will be richly rewarded by Christ for taking the step of trusting in him!

We’re back to where we began this morning:
	To experience the joy of Christ – the faithfulness of Christ – and the care of Christ – we need to go to Christ!

We can know just how much we need Jesus in our lives –
	We can know just how generous and gracious he is –

But we still need to go to him and put our trust in him if we are going to benefit from that knowledge!

If you’re not a Christian here this morning, then that means you need to go to Christ for the first time.

Learn from Ruth – don’t miss your opportunity to get to know Jesus and the new life he can give to you!

It is a step that requires courage – but you will be richly rewarded!

You will receive forgiveness – 
	a new life – 
	and God’s Holy Spirit to empower you to live for him!

If you know anything of Christ’s love and grace – go to him!  
	And ask him to transform your life, by revealing his character to you!

If you are already a Christian here this morning, the lesson from Ruth 3 is actually much the same.
	Keep on going to Christ, every single day of your life – and depend on him for all that you need!

Don’t just acknowledge Christ’s goodness – don’t just nod your head to the great resources God gives to you as you live for him –
	You need to actively depend on them in your life!

You need to lean on Christ, if you are going to live for him!

We began this morning with the challenge Jesus gives us to ‘Ask’ him for all that we need – and he will give it to us!

That’s because he has already given us everything we need to live for him!

In Ephesians 1, Paul prays that we might know God’s ‘incomparably great power for us who believe’ (v.19) –
	And 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that ‘his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of [God]’.

The power available to us as Christians is not some sort of magical power, to give us absolutely everything we want or desire.

Instead, it is power that comes from knowing Christ and his power!

The prayers in the New Testament were not prayers for comfort or ease or material things –
	They were prayers that we might know God – and that the knowledge of the living and gracious God might transform us and give us joy, even in the midst of suffering!

God will honour any prayer that asks to know him in a deeper way!

And it is the testimony of Christians throughout history that, the more we see of Christ –
	The more our desires will be transformed, so that knowing the glorious Christ becomes the desire of our hearts!

The early Christians were willing to suffer and die so that they could know Christ –
	And we today can pray for the same knowledge of Christ that they had!

The lesson of Ruth 3 is that once we know that Christ is gracious and good and loving – we need to go to him and put our trust in him, however risky that may look at first.

Christ will receive us with joy!
	And he will gladly give to all who ask him both the strength to know him – and the strength to live for him!

Like Ruth, we need to take that step of faith in each of our lives –
	And to go on taking that step of faith every single day!

And we can do that – because Christ is loving and faithful, and he invites us to come to him!