The Song Of Trust Series

Have you ever thought about the correlation between risk and

trust? You can’t have one without the other. I turn 60 this summer and

on my 60th birthday, if I can get Sue to agree, I want to go skydiving.

Don’t worry, the bank made the church take out a key-man policy on me

this last year that pays the church $1.5 M if I die, so I’m worth much

more dead than I am alive. So all through the process of putting on the

chute, getting on the itybity plane, flying up to 5000 feet, stepping to the

opening and then finally jumping out, what am I doing? I’m assessing

risk and I’m placing trust. Parachuting is a risky prospect because there

are no guarantees. The more risk I assess, the more trust I must display.

If there were no risk, then there would be no need for trust. And where

will my trust be? Well, part of it will be in that thing called a parachute.

But ultimately, my trust is not in that parachute, it’s in God.

Relationships and particularly marriage, are risky business.

What are the risks in marriage? I asked my staff to list a few:

She might turn out like her mother

Can’t adjust to their annoying habits.

Might get tired of him/her and want a new model.

He/she might get tired of you and want a newer model.

They might leave and take your money

Loss of freedom: can’t do what you want to do: eat where you

want to eat; buy what you want to buy; drive what you want to

drive; wear what you want to wear; play when you want to play,

etc.

Marriage failure. What if you don’t beat the odds?

Marriage mediocrity: not keeping it fresh and exciting

Heartbreak that comes with the suffering or death of someone

that you've given your heart to in marriage

Infidelity: seeking pleasure from someone beside you.

Rejection: they might see me for who I really am and not want

me

Not be loved in return; that is, put it all out on the line and then

not get love in return.

There are no guarantees, are there? Right now the survival rate

in marriage is about 50-50. The survival rate for parachuting is much

higher than that, about 99.8%. If the survival rate for marriage is 50-50,

then the percentage of successful, fulfilling marriages is even less. DO

YOU WANT TO JUST SURVIVE IN YOUR MARRIAGE, OR DO YOU

WANT TO THRIVE? It’s going to take extraordinary risk-taking and trust

on the part of both of you.

Turn with me to Ruth 3. This morning we continue to study the

book of Ruth and the great love story between Ruth and Boaz. In all

great relationships, there are songs that are sung loud and clear, and we

hear these songs in the book of Ruth. In Week 1 we listened to the song

of faithfulness and discovered this key principle: IN EVERY

RELATIONSHIP, PARTICULARLY MARRIAGE, THERE ARE TIMES

WHEN THOSE IN THE RELATIONSHIP MUST BE FAITHFUL,

REGARDLESS OF THE CHALLENGE. In Week 2 we listened to the

song of grace and discovered this key principle: RELATIONSHIPS,

PARTICULARLY MARRIAGE, CAN ONLY SURVIVE WITH LARGE

AMOUNTS OF GRACE

And now this morning we’re going to listen to another critical

song that must be heard loud and clear in healthy relationships and

marriages: the song of trust. ALL RELATIONSHIPS, PARTICULARLY

MARRIAGE, ARE BRIMMING WITH RISK, PROMPTING PARTNERS

TO TRUST AND BE TRUSTWORTHY, ULTIMATELY TRUSTING GOD

FOR THE OUTCOMES

So let’s dig in and read the 3rd chapter together (ON SCREEN)

v.1 “should I not try…” After Naomi hears what happened in ch.2, how

Boaz had cared for Ruth in the field, she seized on the opportunity to try

to find a husband for Ruth, someone who would provide for her and carry

on the family line, which is what the next of kin, the kinsman redeemer

was to do.

v.2 “winnowing barley on the threshing floor…” Now let me pause there

and explain the process to those of us who are city slickers. The

threshing floor would where the valuable grain was separated from the

worthless chaff. (PIC) The barley would be piled on a hard surface,

probably stone, and either an ox or the workers would tread on the grain,

separating the inner kernels from the worthless outer chaff. The workers

would pick up a bunch of the stuff, throw it into the air where the wind

would carry away the chaff and the heavier kernels would fall back on

the floor. This would be repeated until all the grain was gathered and the

chaff was blown away. This image, this process is used over and over

again to describe the futility of anything and anyone not godly. Psalm 1