GOD’S GRACE AMIDST LOSS
*26 JULY, 2026*
*TEXT: _Then she arose with her daughters-in-law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited His people in giving them bread._ (Ruth 1:6)*
There is no human being on earth who does not experience loss at certain times. Losses can take various dimensions, such as the loss of a family member or friend, financial loss, sickness, barrenness, etc.
In the passage from which our text is taken, we see how Elimelech and his family relocated to Moab because of the famine in the land of Israel. Unfortunately, there was no indication that they connected with God before taking that life-defining decision. Perhaps this might have accounted for the disaster that greeted them upon their arrival. Elimelech, their father, died first, followed by the two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, leaving their mother, Naomi, and their two wives, Orpah and Ruth.
Grace is God’s unmerited favour. It is His sustaining power and divine help in times of need. For one to enjoy grace and favour, one must be connected to the “socket” and be under the “canopy” of divine grace. Naomi and her family obviously did not key into this principle. They were carried away by the frustration that came with the famine. This was exactly the same mistake that our patriarch, Abraham, made. He found that the famine in the land was severe, and he proceeded to Egypt without speaking to the LORD.
For Naomi and her family, it was technically a step away from the garment of grace, and they basically walked into crisis. She left full and became virtually empty almost immediately. She became a widow and a childless woman right there in a foreign land. She arose in frustration to return to the land of Israel because she heard that God had visited the land and taken away the famine. She knew at that point that the journey she made to Moab was a wrong one and meekly accepted to return to her “source.” Orpah, the wife of one of the sons, returned to her people and her gods, but Ruth decided to go with Naomi.
Upon getting to the land of Israel, the unmerited grace of God was made available to them again.
*KEY FACTS*
1. *God’s grace sustains us through the pain of loss (Ruth 1:3–5).* Having lost her husband and two sons, Naomi was left almost isolated, but thank God for her faithful daughter-in-law, Ruth, who stayed with her through the storms.
2. *God’s grace can retrace our footsteps to the place of blessing (Ruth 1:6).* The family left the land of bounty, Bethlehem, and went to the land of Moab. Only Naomi survived the brutal outcome of that ill-fated journey. Thereafter, God created a season of supernatural restoration and gave Naomi another opportunity to thrive.
3. *God’s grace is always at work, even when we can’t feel or see its physical manifestation.* When Naomi got back to her hometown, the people remarked, “Is this not Naomi?” Out of frustration over her ordeals and challenges at the time, she said, “Call me Mara.” The name “Mara” means bitterness. Unknown to her, God was on the verge of restoring her losses. She could only see her previous losses. She had no idea what God had in store for her. The grace of God would later connect her daughter-in-law to Boaz, their kinsman-redeemer and destiny helper, whom she married and gave birth to Obed, the father of Jesse, who fathered David. What Naomi saw as tragedy was woven together by God to form part of His redemptive plan. (Romans 8:28–30).
4. *The grace of God can turn seemingly ordinary people into participants in His divine purpose.* Ruth was a widow, a poor woman, and a Moabite (one of the nations with whom Israel was forbidden to associate). Grace, however, singled her out and enabled her to attain honour from a place of obscurity. This shows that grace is not limited by nationality, race, or past failures.
The key lesson from this story is that even in our errors, God’s grace remains available. This does not mean that one can consciously continue in unbelief or disobedience. Rather, we simply mean that previous errors do not mean that one is completely shut out of the hall of grace.
*SEARCHLIGHT:*
The grace of God is very vital in all our dealings. A man without grace upon his head is left at the whims and caprices of the powers of darkness.
*PRAYER:*
O LORD, may Your grace from above never run dry nor cease in my life, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
*BIBLE READING: Psalm 69–71, Revelation 18*
*PASTOR MICHAEL OMOLE
