Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Ruth 2:14-16

Ruth 2:14-16 
English Standard Version 

  Ruth came from a position of lack, having had much taken from her, leaving her homeland, leaving behind whatever old gods she had... and here she is, eating until she is satisfied.  
  The way the word satisfaction is used in Scripture is so beautiful to me.  It gives a sense of completeness, of total ease, of resting in what you have and wanting for nothing.  Imagine eating a bounteous picnic lunch in a warm summer meadow, and then sitting on a swing under an ancient oak tree with the sun on your face and a full stomach and nothing to do.  In such a place, you need nothing, and feel completely at ease, resting in what you hold in your full heart.  You are satisfied.
  This is what we find in God.  Scripture paints a picture of it here and there, and we see snapshots, held up for us to contemplate, and it helps us understand the yearning in our heart for such a reality.  This is the hunger God has set in our hearts, and it can be filled only by God.  As Augustine says, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.  May each of us find our rest  in God, and may our wearied hearts know true satisfaction in God and God alone.

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