Ruth - Part 1

Ruth 1:1–22

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Discussion Questions:

1. God’s Hidden Mercy in Dark Times

• When have you experienced a “famine” season where God seemed distant? Looking back, where do you now see His hidden mercy at work?

• What were the five icons that we used to represent unhealthy ways to deal with stress? Which one is your go to? What would a better strategy look like?

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2. Running or Repenting

• When life gets hard, which of the “unhelpful responses” do you most tend toward — ejecting, fighting, isolating, distracting, or overanalyzing?

• What might it look like in your current struggle to stay and learn rather than run and lose? (“God is taking you to school in your struggle — don’t miss class.”)

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3. Kissers and Cleavers

• In what ways do we sometimes act like “kissers” — showing affection toward God or others without real commitment?

• What would it look like in your relationships, faith, or calling to be a “cleaver” — to hold fast even when it’s costly or uncomfortable?

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4. My Response is My Responsibility

• Naomi’s bitterness distorted her memory of God’s goodness. How can pain or disappointment do the same in us?

• How do we move from bitterness to lament — expressing our pain to God instead of turning against Him?

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5. Forward to Bethlehem or Back to Moab

• What are the modern “Moabs” that tempt us to turn back — comfort, control, compromise, cynicism?

• What step of obedience might God be calling you to take forward, even if it feels risky or uncertain?

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6. When Darkness Runs Deep

• Corrie Ten Boom said, “No matter how deep the darkness, He is deeper still.” How have you seen that truth play out — in your own life or in someone else’s story?