Faith When It Hurts

This episode was born out of a moment — a message I heard this past weekend at church in Hoboken, New Jersey, while attending with my daughter. The teaching was from the Book of Ruth, and it hit me differently this time.

Ruth isn’t just a love story.
 It isn’t just a redemption story.
 It’s a story about what faith looks like when we’re wounded.

In this episode, we walk through Naomi’s grief and bitterness, Ruth’s obedience, and the hard question so many of us wrestle with:
Do I wait on God… or do I take action?

Naomi renames herself “bitter,” yet she never abandons God’s ways. She returns to Bethlehem. She knows the law. She believes redemption is still possible — even while her heart is broken. And when the moment comes, she doesn’t scheme or manipulate. She activates what God already put in place.

This episode unpacks:

• Bitterness without abandoning faith
• Obedience without emotional clarity
• Waiting on God without becoming passive
• Taking action without forcing outcomes
• How God often works quietly through ordinary obedience

There are no recorded miracles in Ruth. No angels. No audible voice of God.
 Yet Ruth becomes the great-grandmother of King David — and part of the lineage of Jesus.

God does the extraordinary through ordinary obedience.

If you’re in a season of grief, uncertainty, or tension — if you’re asking whether you’re waiting on God or avoiding obedience — this conversation is for you.

As always, I’m not a pastor or theologian. I’m just a guy in the Jesus gym, working it out in real time. Please verify everything in scripture for yourself.

And don’t take the bait!

Scriptures Referenced in the Episode

Primary Text

• Ruth 1–4
   (Overall context of the episode)

Key Passages in Ruth

• Ruth 1:1–5 – Naomi loses her husband and two sons
• Ruth 1:16–17 – Ruth refuses to leave Naomi (“Where you go, I will go…”)
• Ruth 1:20–21 – Naomi renames herself Mara (“Call me bitter…”)
• Ruth 2:1–23 – Gleaning laws in action; Ruth provides through obedience
• Ruth 3:1–13 – Ruth approaches Boaz at the threshing floor
• Ruth 4:9–17 – Boaz redeems Ruth; lineage established

Old Testament Law & Framework (Implied but Explained)

*Leviticus 19:9–10 – Gleaning laws (care for the poor with dignity)

• Leviticus 25:25 – Kinsman-redeemer principle
• Deuteronomy 25:5–10 – Family redemption and lineage protection

Lineage & Fulfillment

• Ruth 4:17 – Ruth becomes great-grandmother of King David
• Matthew 1:5–6 – Ruth included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ

Optional Supporting Scriptures (Aligned With Episode Themes)

(Not directly quoted, but consistent with your teaching points)

• Proverbs 3:5–6 – Trusting God’s way over control
• Psalm 37:5 – Commit your way to the Lord
• Isaiah 30:21 – Hearing God when to move or wait

This is the Buddy For Junior Show — where faith, truth, and courage come together. Join us as we explore life’s deeper purpose and carry the torch of conviction. The show begins now.

Follow Buddy @BuddyFoyJr

Chapters

• 0:23 A New Lens On Ruth
• 1:31 What Faith Looks Like Wounded
• 1:52 Subscribe And Share
• 2:11 Naomi’s Loss And Bitter Name
• 3:47 Bitter Words, Faithful Actions
• 4:39 Activating Provision, Not Scheming
• 6:23 Faith That Waits And Walks
• 7:39 Ordinary Obedience, Extraordinary Story
• 8:30 Aligning With God’s Word
• 9:34 Final Encouragements And Sign-Off

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:12

Welcome. Welcome to the Buddy Foy Junior Show. I appreciate you all being here today. Today's episode comes from a message that I heard this past weekend in Hobook, New Jersey. At a church I attended with my daughter that she goes to, she serves at. The pastor began teaching out of the book of Ruth. And I gotta be honest, it hit me differently. His approach, his discernment, shed some light on a few important details. I had thought Ruth was a love story. I had thought Ruth was a redemption story. But after reading it again after this message on Sunday, it's a story about what faith looks like when we're wounded. Maybe it's because of where I am today. Maybe it's because of the season I'm in. But that's the thing about the Bible. Whenever you open it, it hits you differently. So that's the phrase that I'm sitting with this week. What does faith look like when we're wounded? Because the book of Ruth asks a question. I think of all of us that we wrestle with. At least I do. Do I wait on God or do I take action? Today I want to walk through Naomi's pain and Ruth's obedience. And what this short four-chapter book teaches us about faith in real life. Before we dive in, quick favor. If you haven't already, please hit the follow button or subscribe wherever you're listening. And if this episode resonates, would you do me a huge favor? Share it with one person. It'd be such a blessing and it helps grow the podcast. Thank you. In Ruth chapter one, Naomi loses everything. Her husband, her two sons, her future. She tells her daughter-in-laws to return to their homeland. But Ruth refuses and stays with Naomi. When Naomi returns to Bethlehem, she says something shocking. Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. Naomi means pleasant. Mara means bitter. So, what's wild that the pastor pointed out is that she's the only biblical character, for lack of a better term, that has ever renamed themselves. God renames not the people of the Bible. In Scripture, God renames the identity and the destiny. Abram becomes Abraham. Jacob becomes Israel. But Naomi, she does it herself out of pain. Call me bitter. Let's be honest. Naomi is grieving. She's depressed. She's bitter towards God with that very act of changing her name. That's evidence. But God doesn't rebuke her for that. That alone comforts me. God does not rebuke her in a book of Ruth. Here's what's fascinating. Even while Naomi calls herself bitter, even while she believes that God dealt with her harshly, she still returns to Bethlehem. She still knows God's law. She still believes redemption is possible. Otherwise, why go to Bethlehem? Outwardly, she sounds hopeless. She's presenting hopelessness. Inwardly, her actions, her theology is intact. Her emotions are broken, but her faith system, it's not broken. She hasn't abandoned God. She hasn't rejected his ways. She's wounded. But she's still paying attention. And that matters. And that hits me. In chapter three, Naomi instructs Ruth to approach Boaz at the threshing floor. When I first read this years ago, it felt risky, almost manipulative. I thought Naomi was scheming. But this time, I saw it differently. Naomi isn't inventing a plan. She's activating God's provision. I say that again. Naomi isn't inventing a plan. She's activating God's provision. See, Naomi understood God's law that had already been put in place. Three of them. Gleaning laws, which preserved dignity and poverty, kingsman redeemer laws, which protected family and legacy, and cultural customs that allowed legal appeal. Ruth's approach wasn't seduction, it was obedience. Naomi wasn't forcing God's hand. She was trusting God's system. That's not scheming. That's faith that moves. So here's the tension I live in. And maybe you do too. Am I trusting God? Or am I trying to control the outcome? Faith doesn't always look joyful. Faith doesn't always require emotional clarity. I'm learning faith requires obedient alignment, aligning to be obedient to God's laws. And in our case, with Jesus Christ, have faith in the grace, in the favor. Naomi doesn't wait passively for God to fix everything, but she also doesn't force the result. She steps into what God already provided. That's the balance. We wait on God's authority. We act on God's provision. We don't rush outcomes. We don't stay paralyzed either. Boaz still had a choice. God still had to work through Boaz. Ruth and Naomi simply showed up obediently. Faith isn't sitting idle. I'm learning that faith isn't forcing the results either. Faith is responding rightly. But we got to know the book in order to know how to respond. We got to be in the Word. We have to read the Bible in order to know God's laws and God's plan. And like Pastor Brian, or my monk Brian said, you got to see God and hear God. One of the most powerful things about Ruth is this: there are no recorded miracles, no angels, there's no audible voice of God. And yet, Ruth becomes the great grandmother of King David and part of the lineage of Jesus. Man, it gives me chills. God did the extraordinary through ordinary obedience. Maybe faith isn't waiting around until we're healed. Maybe faith is taking the next faithful step while we're still hurting. Naomi, she didn't stop believing in God's system. She trusted it enough to act. So here's the question I'm sitting with. And maybe you are too. Am I waiting on God or am I avoiding obedience? Define line. Faith sometimes waits. Faith sometimes walks. But faith always aligns. If you're in a season of bitterness, grief, or uncertainty, you're not behind. You might be right where formation begins. Thank you for being here. Please verify everything I say. I'm not a pastor. I do not hold ethyology degree. I'm just a man in the Jesus gym, working out, dropping weights on my foot, and getting back up. And as always, don't take debate. God bless. Don't take the bait.