Every Nation Church Las Vegas — "Positioned for Providence" Discussion Guide

"Positioned for Providence" Discussion Guide

Main Thought

Difficulty and desperation happen in our lives. The worst-case scenario might even occur in spite of our best efforts. In situations like these, we might feel like God is silent. We don’t know what He’s doing. Yet we need to seek God even when we don’t see Him. When we do, we often discover that God is moving providentially on our behalf. The word “providence” describes the way God uses people, events, and other things in the world to accomplish his purposes. In His providence, God moves through people and circumstances discreetly (instead of directly) to accomplish his purposes.

We can learn three things from the Book of Ruth about positioning ourselves to experience God’s providence. First, our motives and actions need to serve God -  instead of “idols” like an unhealthy need for comfort or control. Second, we also need to have the right attitude toward our role in God’s story. We need to work hard and do our part. Finally, we need to do the right things by living and acting with integrity. These things position us to experience God’s providential favor and purpose for our lives.

Main Passages

16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
- Ruth 1:16

3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.
- Ruth 2:3

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[h] for those who are called according to his purpose.
- Romans 8:28

Discussion Questions

  1. What stood out to you from the Main Thought and Passages above, or from last week’s Worship Service?

  2. Have you ever witnessed God move providentially in your life? How do you need to see God move now?

  3. Of the three things we learn from the Book of Ruth about experiencing God’s providence, which one is most applicable to you right now?

Family Discussion

  1. Ruth made a promise and she kept it even if things around her changed. Have you ever made a promise but didn’t keep it? What happened?

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