Defend God?

Naomi’s life has been devastated by loss after loss, and now she’s finally returned to her home town and all her bitterness pours out.

Along the way, Ruth has come alongside Naomi and learned from her about this personal, powerful God named Yahweh. So take a moment and imagine what it must have been like for Ruth - the new believer - when Naomi says God wrecked her life. 

“The Almighty has made my life very bitter... The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” - Ruth 1:21-22

There must have been plenty temptation to deny what Naomi said, defend God, or dismiss the conversation outright in order to protect this God Ruth had just come to believe in. But, from what we can tell, Ruth had the capacity to hold on to herself while being in the presence of someone in grief. And it wasn’t just any kind of grief, it was spiritual grief. As Rachel Held Evans wrote,

“There are recovery programs for people grieving the loss of a parent, sibling, or spouse. You can buy books on how to cope with the death of a beloved pet or work through the anguish of a miscarriage.  We speak openly with one another about the bereavement that can accompany a layoff, a move, a diagnosis, or a dream deferred. But no one really teaches you how to grieve the loss of your faith. You're on your own for that.” - Rachel Held Evans

Do you have friends or family members (or perhaps yourself!) who are struggling with their faith or who have given it up completely? What might it be like to be present to them in the midst of their doubt, disappointment, and disbelief? Perhaps they don’t need to go it alone - they could have a trusted companion on the journey who has space enough to walk near them without trying to shut them up or fix them.

Talk to God about how you might create safe space around you for those sorts of conversations to unfold this week.