If one should give me a dish of sand and tell me there were particles of iron in it, I might look for them with my eyes and search for them with my clumsy fingers and be unable to detect them; but let me take a magnet and sweep through it and now would it draw to itself the almost invisible particles by the mere power of attraction.

The unthankful heart, like my finger in the sand, discovers no mercies, but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings, only the iron in God’s sand is gold! – Henry Ward Beecher

Your life is often like the iron buried in a plate of sand. Joy is lost in the particles of uncertainty. Buried beneath the sand is a heart of ungratefulness. However for those who have a thankful heart you are like the magnet finding every blessing in which God wishes to bestow, you find joy in the little things of life, and you realize that in the midst of the sands of uncertainty there is still hope.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Today, it is my hope and prayer that after searching God’s Word we will be able to do just that:
“Give Thanks in the Midst of Uncertain Circumstances”

We will be continuing to look at the book of Ruth as we journey through the Word, as you turn your Bibles to chapter 1. We are going to do a recap of Pastor Brandon’s last sermon on the book of Ruth chapters 1. Pastor Brandon pointed out to us the 3 different reactions we can have to unfortunate circumstances. Today, I want us to recognize the three primary categories of uncertainty that tend to affect our circumstances which in return affects how grateful we are. Even though we cannot often times control our circumstances, it is important that we understand the emotion of uncertainty so that we might better handle our circumstances. This will become clearer as we break down the passage of Ruth 1:1-7.

In Ruth 1:1-7 the Bible illustrates these three primary categories of uncertainty.

1. Uncertainty of Luxury – Economy, Finances, provision, Jobs 1:1
People could actually stay in their homelands, and depend on the Lord, or they could trust in the foreign land of Moab a society much like our own. In the midst of famine the first place we should turn is to the Lord.

2. Uncertainty of Life – Health, Sickness, Tragedy, & Death
Jms 4:13-14 Life is but a vapor. Ruth 1:3,5 Father and Husbands die. Men old and young. Death & disease is often times beyond our comprehension

3. Uncertainty of Love – Loss, Divorce, Separation
vs.5 loss of Ruth’s husband. We can assume she loved him dearly by how she expresses her love towards Naomi.

Whatever you are going through could probably be classified in one of these three categories.
We see that during Ruth’s days a famine had swept the land. Death had struck her Father-in-law & Brother-in-law. And she had lost her beloved husband as well. Up to this point her life could be characterized in these three categories, however we realize that in spite of the uncertainty we all still have much to be thankful for. Ruth could have allowed her life to drift away into the sands of uncertainty, but she chose to be grateful for the life she had, the love she shared with Naomi, and the Luxury of a morsel of grain.
In chapter 2:2-3 we see Ruth going into the grain fields after the reapers to scrape together every little morsel of left over grain so that she might be able to at least provide enough food for her and Naomi to survive. They were just scraping by. Have you ever felt like you were just scraping by? Trying to gather together ever piece of loose change around the house just to buy a jug of milk, a loaf of bread, or a gallon of gas. I remember a time early on in our marriage where we were doing everything we could to just put food on the table. It broke my heart when we had to borrow money from our 1 year old son’s piggy bank.

Simply, we need to be thankful for the jobs we have, the roofs over our heads & food on our tables.

Cherish and be thankful for the loved ones we still have in our lives.

Develop long lasting, loving relationships with your spouses and children, because life has it’s twist and turns. One moment their here, and the next their gone.

By acknowledging these categories of uncertainty we will become less consumed by our circumstances, and the things we once took for granite we will cherish and be thankful for.

I want to leave you with.

3 Practical steps to maintaining a Grateful Heart:
1. Seek God’s Will through Prayer (Matt. 7:7)
“Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.”

2. Seek God’s Word (Ps.119:105)
“Your Word is a Lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”

3. Seek Wise Counsel (Prov. 13:20 ESV)
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Have everyone repeat:
God knows my circumstances.
God is present in my circumstances.
God has the power to guide me through my circumstances.

Closing: Remember to keep the holidays simple, and remember this holiday is a time to give thanks.