Refuge - Finding Home in a World of Change

Hi everyone, it’s great to be back and pretty much recovered from Covid. Praise the Lord! If you are listening to this when it first airs on the Sabbath, then I’d like to wish you a peaceful Sabbath, immersed in the Word of God, worship and love.

This week’s program review is for the 6 Part Biblical Character Series called:

Refuge - Finding Home in a World of Change by Philip Tuttle, who runs Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. NB! I am not affiliated with Walk Thru the Bible Ministries.

The 6 part Refuge series is based on the Book of Ruth.

The Series Description is as follows:

God used a grieving widow, a faithful foreigner, and a man of standing to show us that ultimately, we find our home, our refuge in Him.

It was a time not unlike our own. When the judges ruled, the nation of Israel indulged in radical individualism, frequent wars, idol worship, and more.

In the Book of Ruth, Naomi, having fled a famine only to suffer devastating losses, returns home, grieving and accompanied by her foreign daughter-in-law. Naomi thought she had nothing left, but God surprised her with His faithfulness in the midst of her crisis of faith. We can learn from this story as we see how Naomi experienced:

• Losing Home

• Losing Hope

• Finding Favor

• Finding Hope

• Finding Faith

• Finding Home

Part One of this series goes through the first five verses of the Book of Ruth. It looks at how Naomi and her family had to move from Bethlehem to Moab, in order to flee the famine. Philip Tuttle sets the focus on displacement and how this can happen in several areas: physical, relational, emotional and spiritual. Verses one to five show Naomi experiencing displacement in all of the mentioned areas:

Ruth 1:1-5 says,

1 Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion--Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Philip Tuttle speaks about the expectation that when we turn and follow Christ, our worries are over. However, here we see, Naomi, a woman of God, in the midst of profound grief.

Tuttle rounds off Part One, by asking a few questions, which I would like to include as part of this review:

What’s the most difficult displacement, loss or grief, you’ve ever experienced?

What made it so challenging?

I found these questions very beneficial to reflect on. In my notes, I wrote promises from God’s word that has brought me comfort throughout all the years of my displacement.

One that comes to mind for this review is: Zechariah 4:6 - Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. This reminds me that no matter what, I cannot rely on my own power - I will come up empty over and over again.

1 Corinthians 12:9-10 says: 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Book of Ruth is one of my favorite books in the Bible because it portrays God’s love for us, through an account of a man and a woman. The book is only four chapters long, yet it is packed with profound messages from our Father, about the sacrifice His Son would make for us in order to be the Saviour of the world..

Part One of this series was only about 15 minutes long, yet I found myself reflecting on the questions Tuttle asked for the rest of the week, and noting down, anew, God’s promises to us for the various trials we will go through.

In Summary

Refuge - Finding Home in a World of Change, Part One, is a short, yet powerful program on the account of the Book of Ruth, that has thought provoking questions.

I am looking forward to Part Two!

I watched Refuge - Finding Home in a World of Change via www.christiancinema.com

Thank you for reading this review. Until next time, peace be with you