Redeemed Devotional – Day 2

Scripture:
⁶ Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. ⁷ So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. ⁸ But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. ⁹ The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. ¹⁰ And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” ¹¹ But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? ¹² Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, ¹³ would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”
~ Ruth 1:6-13

There’s nothing quite like a good friend. Someone who walks the path of life with us. Many of you have this sort of companion in your life, perhaps a spouse or close friend who you rely heavily upon, who has a listening ear, and who helps when life’s burdens are hard. But not all of you do. Some of you, like Naomi, feel that grief is now your only companion.

Naomi hears that the Lord has visited His people and gave them food. She doesn’t know a lot more than that, such as how this has happened. And she doesn’t have a lot more hope than this, that Bethlehem is now again a house of bread. So, as she hears this message, she begins her walk back home. And while Naomi will have a daughter-in-law to accompany her, her closest companion is grief.

Many of you know what this is like. When you go in the kitchen to pour some coffee, you are reminded that you only need a cup for yourself. And when you sit down at the table, grief is sitting in the place of that loved one. You go to make a joke and then realize there’s no one to share it with. So, you get dressed to go out, but grief hops in the car with you. You stop at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things, and as you leave you are fighting back tears, as you remember their favorite snack they used to get. You try to escape by going to bed, but grief is right there, tucked in the covers with you. Every time you forget and go to talk to that loved one, grief reminds you, “They are gone, but I’m still here.”

And this is where Naomi is at. Grief is more than a season she’s going through right now; grief is her closest companion. Grief walks with her and shapes her thoughts. Grief gives her a vision of the future. And grief makes every step she takes feel as if it’s her last. It seems as if grief has won and will remind her of the victory every chance it gets.

You too may be where Naomi is at as you carry the sorrow that you didn’t ask to take. There is a heaviness to what you are carrying. You try to work or keep up the house, but your mind keeps going back to that tragic event. You cry out to God in prayer, but it seems the best you can manage are moans. Your smile seems so fake, and you’re just worn down by pretending to be OK.

Not only is grief heavy, but grief is also confusing. Grief can feel like a fog and so life doesn’t make a lot of sense. You have a hard time remembering what day it is. You find yourself staring at your phone, unsure of what you’re supposed to be doing. You don’t have a clear sense of direction in where you’re going, and it feels like you’re more lost than you are found. Any hope that you have is very faint, and you’re not sure how good it’s going to be. All those memories of laughter and joy are in the past, and grief tells you that you’ll never be able to laugh again. And the worst part is, grief can tell us that God can’t redeem what has been lost.

Grief is a companion to all of us at some point, but grief doesn’t have to be a bad companion. Grief can serve to remind us that we live in a fallen world, and we have a desperate need for Jesus and His redemption. Grief can point us to a better companion, the one who walks with us on the road. Do you remember when Jesus met His disciples walking on the road, as they were trying to make sense of life? These disciples had unanswered questions. Their expectations seem to be dashed, and their dreams had crumbled. They couldn’t see what God was going to do from this.

But Jesus meets them right where they are, in the middle of their shattered story. Even though they didn’t recognize Him, He recognized them. And that’s what matters, for the Lord to meet you and your broken road and to walk it with you. Right now, in our story Naomi doesn’t see the Lord walking with her.

All she sees is grief, and all she feels is emptiness. All she knows is loss because she believes her best days are behind her and her story is over. She even believes the Lord’s hand is against her.

And many of you know that feeling as you look at old photos and wonder if joy like that will ever return or sit in church and feel like everyone else has a future except you. You hear people talk about God’s goodness and wonder why you can’t see it. You try to read Scripture, but the words feel distant and cold.

But Naomi is wrong. And your grief is wrong too, if that’s what He is telling you. See, the Redeemer is already moving toward her even though she can’t see it. Grace is already unfolding, and hope is on the horizon. So, if this is where you are, then know that Jesus walks the road of grief with us.

Jesus is present even when we cannot see Him. He is faithful even when we don’t feel it. And He is working, even when we can’t imagine it. Jesus is with you in that quiet house, beside you at the gravesite, and catching those tears as they fall. So, while your grief is real, and your sorrow matters, please know that grief is not your closest companion. Jesus is. And He will never leave you alone on the road you are traveling.

Jesus is better than the loneliness you feel, because He has promised never to leave or forsake you. And He always keeps His promises. Jesus is better than the future grief has, when grief convinces you the future is only darkness. But Jesus has secured your future in His nail scarred hands and will bring it to pass. And Jesus is better than the grief that follows you, because His goodness and mercy are pursuing you all the days of your life.

So, walk today, even if it’s one step, because Jesus is walking with you and will never leave you.

Pastor Josh Gerber

1. Where does grief show up most often in your daily life right now, and how does it shape the way you see God?
2. What lies does grief whisper to you about your future, and how does the truth of God’s character speak back to those lies?
3. When have you experienced Jesus walking with you in grief—even if you didn’t recognize Him at the time?