WHERE YOU GO, I GO: FINDING OUR WAY HOME THROUGH THE BOOK OF RUTH

By Elisabet Fountain

What you hold in your hand is a tool to guide you through unknown seasons with the Word of God as your compass. Written during the first long global lockdown in 2020 for our newly scattered sisterhood, this study proved to be a powerful lifeline, not just among the sisters who joined us in online discussions but, more importantly, among the individual souls and their creator.

Over and over, dear friends shared that they heard God's voice for themselves with new clarity, and that is our deepest prayer for you. In the spirit of Ruth and Naomi, we recommend journeying with an accountability partner, but should that not be available to you, Jesus himself will fill that gap.

Though often applied to waiting for our earthly Boaz, the book of Ruth is much more than that. From famine, death, and bitterness to the layers of friendship and longing, these ancient themes reveal profound relevance. And their author is inviting us on a journey with him that is simultaneously individual and interdependent.

The timeless Word of God is so rich in its own right, guiding the reader back to himself. Much of this study simply unpacks Hebrew definitions and cultural contexts to better attune our hearts to the nuanced intentions of its author. By allowing the Word to speak for itself, the goal of this study is to create a space where our hearts are prepared to receive him.

But while the seed of the sower is incorruptible, the soil of our hearts varies. One way or another, every soul has been shattered, and every human mind has a filter through which we perceive him.

Each day begins with preparing our garden. We connect to our honest thoughts and emotions, and through different exercises engaging soul through body, we break up the fallow ground to receive the Word.

Elisabet's weekly thought-provoking questions draw one to meditate, be still, examine, and savor the revelatory insights that are gained about oneself and our relationship to our living creator. The greatest gift of this study was how Elisabet made space for my faith, Scripture, and much-needed introspective work we all so desperately need. The Book of Ruth is none other than a gentle slow dance toward our heavenly Father, Abba, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit--while engaging the whole of ourselves in this holistic experience. (Sambra Zaoui, LCSW, CCTP, EMDR)

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885406659

Book preview

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WHERE YOU GO, I GO

FINDING OUR WAY HOME THROUGH THE BOOK OF RUTH

Elisabet Fountain

ISBN 979-8-88540-664-2 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88540-665-9 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Elisabet Fountain

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Welcome to Our Journey

Welcome to Week 1

Day 1

Finding Your Rhythm

Day 2

First Impression of Ruth 1

Day 3

First Impression of Ruth 2

Day 4

First Impression of Ruth 3

Day 5

First Impression of Ruth 4

Welcome to Week 2

Day 1

What Now?

Day 2

What's in a Name?

Day 3

Other Relationships

Day 4

Toward Home

Welcome to Week 3

Day 1

Great Wealth

Day 2

Whose Are You?

Day 3

Listen, O Daughter

Day 4

Satisfied

Day 5

Abundance

Welcome to Week 4

Day 1

That It May Be Well with You

Day 2

At His Feet

Day 3

Under His Wing

Day 4

Don't Be Afraid

Day 5

Sit Still, My Daughter

Welcome to Week 5

Day 1

The City Gate

Day 2

Redemption

Day 3

The Ones I Look on with Favor

Day 4

Restorer and Nourisher

Day 5

Genealogy

Welcome to Week 6

Day 1

Surrendering to Majesty

Day 2

The Spirit of Adoption

Day 3

Yahweh's Hesed

Day 4

Seasons and Forever

Day 5

Returning

About the Author

A daughter of a refugee, Elisabet Fountain has spent the past three decades devoting her life to global ministry. After leaving her native Copenhagen, Denmark, Elisabet received her ministry training from Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Florida. She enjoys exploring the intersections of culture and kingdom, and her ministry service has taken her from the jungles of Peru to cities around the world.

Dear reader,

What you hold in your hand is a tool to guide you through unknown seasons with the Word of God as your compass. Written during the first long global lockdown in 2020 for our newly scattered sisterhood, Oasis, this study proved to be a powerful lifeline, not just among the sisters who joined us in online discussions but, more importantly, among the individual souls and their creator.

Over and over, the surprised testimonies agreed that they heard God's voice for themselves with new clarity, and that is our deepest prayer for you as you now embark on this journey. In the spirit of Ruth and Naomi, we always recommend journeying with an accountability partner, but should that not be available to you, Jesus himself will fill that gap.

Going forward, when we address our Oasis sisterhood, you are now adopted into it.

Our Facebook page is https://m.facebook.com/OasisWomensOBSwithElisabetFountain/ and our email is [e-mail].

We would love to hear what the Lord shows you.

Consider yourself invited and embraced.

Welcome.

To our beloved Oasis sisters:

Thank you for showing us what a living, loving, supportive sisterhood can be!

Rarely was a family more diverse than ours. God has gathered us from every continent, every sphere of life, every age, and every stage. Besides Jesus, our common denominator is that we are familiar with pain and are declaring war on shame.

You love each other so well, and we are honored to shepherd you through this unprecedented season of global crisis.

Our prayer is that, as we join Ruth and Naomi on their journey through loss and friendship, we deepen our own friendships with God first and with each other through is Spirit.

We are pilgrims through uncertain times, vacillating between the familiar and the unknown toward home where the ancient covenant will be fulfilled for us.

We are one!

We miss you!

Big hug,

Erica and Elisabet

And, Erica, my Jonathan:

Though I wrote the study, this was all your vision,

planted in your beautiful shepherd's heart

by our souls' tender Shepherd.

For this and forever,

Thank you, my covenant friend!

—Elisabet

Don't ask me to

leave you and turn back.

Wherever you go, I will go;

wherever you live, I will live.

Your people will be my people,

and your God will be my God.

—Ruth 1:16 NLT

Welcome to Our Journey

First let us settle what this is not .

Though the love story we are about to read is often applied well to teach principles of human romance, that is not our aim in this study. After almost three decades of ministry to people of every sort of romantic history, I'm convinced that we are far more alike than different and our truest desires are neither satisfied nor defined by any human relationship.

This is a pilgrimage toward the tender, passionate, redeeming heart of God as he woos us through loss and longing, through friendship and family, and certainly through shakings like this unprecedented time in world history.

This is meant to be a compass to help steer us back toward our true home, where fear and death and insecurity and isolation have no place.

His Word is immovable and will stand when all else passes away (see Matthew 24:35).

This can be as personal and/or communal as you choose, depending on your openness alone with God and your involvement in your faith community.

More than anything, this is intended to be part of an ongoing conversation between you and your redeemer, your creator, the lover of your soul. Whatever your preferred name for him, this is his invitation to follow him wherever he goes and to enjoy the process with him and his people.

Suggested tools for the travel ahead:

The Bible (We suggest a physical book. Unless otherwise mentioned, we are using NKJV.)

A journal for deepening the dialogue

A notepad to catch distracting thoughts and free your mind to be present and engaged

Here we go.

Welcome to Week 1

Day 1

Finding Your Rhythm

Through the content of this powerful little portion of Scripture, we seek to assist you in cultivating your daily conversation with God in this intimate setting. So today is all about establishing together the tone and rhythm that is right for you.

Studies show that developing a personal liturgy of a regular time and place greatly helps us stay consistent.

Let the questions below guide you:

What time of day will be best for your journey?

What place will be your private sanctuary?

What do you long for from this study?

Jesus told a parable (Matthew 13:2–23) about a sower who sowed seeds in different kinds of soil. The seeds were all of the same kind, but the fruitfulness was very different, depending on the soil.

Soil quality is a measure of how well a soil provides nutrients and water for plants and other organisms, cleans