Title Grace after loss
Contents
Hymn: Chapter 408, “My Lord God, Broad and Great Grace”
Meditation: Have you ever lost something that was dear to you? How did God fill that void?
Confession of Faith: Apostles' Creed
Text: “Naomi returned from the region of Moab with her mother-in-law, Ruth the Moabite woman, and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest” (Ruth 1:19-22).
Word: Moab was a land of abundance and fertility. Just like today's America. When a famine came in Bethlehem, Naomi moved with her husband to Moab, which she had always longed for. But the Moab they dreamed of did not exist. Her husband collapsed (verse 3), and her two sons disappeared like smoke from her eyes (verse 5). The death of the three men is a loss for Naomi, who had lost all her youth and wealth for 10 years and had only a glimmer of hope.
After losing everything, Naomi hears the rumor and decides to return to Bethlehem. It wasn't an easy decision. It was difficult to make up my mind about Moab. However, we returned to Bethlehem with the determination to ‘hold on to God’. Naomi received the blessing of a person, a time, and a place from God.
First, it is the blessing of ‘Ruth’. Ruth was with Naomi. Ruth is a foreign woman and has lost her husband, and although she is a woman with nothing, she is a blessing to Naomi. Second, it is the grace of ‘the beginning of the barley harvest’. The God who is in control of all this made Naomi hear, wake up, and return at the most appropriate time. This is grace. Third, it is the blessing of a ‘blessed place’. Bethlehem means the best place. In this Bethlehem, Naomi tastes the grace of restoring her family.
In Moab, Naomi lost everything. Nevertheless, when he had the courage to return to Bethlehem, God had “grace after loss” in preparation. Dear all! What have you lost now? Falling down, finding no more reason to live? “Do you want to receive the grace after loss? You just need to come back. Come back soon.” Listen to the voice of God and obey. When you return to Him, God will replenish everything. Through people, through times, and through the best places, He will let you taste how abundant the grace you enjoy after loss.
Prayer: God of grace. From the desperate situation of the past, the gloomy reality of the past, I get up now, look at the grace that the Lord will give me, and move forward with courage. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Lord's Prayer