First, it was his wife, then his infant daughter—both had AIDS, which his wife acquired when she received an infected blood transfusion. The baby’s diagnosis came at the same time Doug’s wife became very ill, his grandfather died of liver cancer, and Doug found out his younger brother had leukemia. Soon the church he pastored asked him to leave. Where was God? Doug suspected the God he’d served all his life had abandoned him. Naomi also experienced severe losses in her life. (Ruth 1:1-3) She blamed God for the deaths of her family and the resulting emptiness in her soul. Although Naomi could neither see nor feel God’s ḥesed (covenant love-in-action), he was working to accomplish his loving purposes for her.

Naomi ~ From Full to Empty

Hunger drove Naomi to leave Bethlehem for Moab. Despite an empty stomach, her heart was full; she had her husband and two sons. When her sons married, she added daughters-in-law to her family. But then, tragedy not only struck; it exploded. First, her husband died, and next, her sons, shoving Naomi into shame. To be a widow in antiquity was to be destitute; to be a widow with no sons was living death, the ultimate emptiness.

God at Work

When Naomi heard the Lord was showing ḥesed to his people in Bethlehem by providing food, she decided to return. As custom demanded, her daughters-in-law joined her. Aware of the prejudice they would face, Naomi thanked them for the ḥesed they’d shown her and her sons (1:8) but encouraged them to go back and start new families. Orpah agreed, but Ruth refused to leave Naomi, determined to share her shame.

Upon arriving in Bethlehem, Naomi told the women of the village:

… the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.

Ruth 1:20-21

Like many of us, Naomi blamed God for her grief. Her losses drained her, leaving her feeling empty even as her faithful daughter-in-law stood beside her. Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem as the barley harvest began, another sign of God’s sovereignty and ḥesed.

Beginning of Hope

Harvesttime provided Ruth an opportunity to find food for Naomi and herself. “As it turned out,” she worked in a field belonging to Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s husband. “Just then Boaz arrived” to check on the harvesters. When he observed a foreign woman gleaning in his field, he asked whose woman she was, revealing the common assumption that every woman must belong to a man. Boaz already knew Ruth by reputation, even if not by sight. He praised her ḥesed to her mother-in-law and promised her protection if she remained in his fields. God showed ḥesed through people—through Ruth to Naomi and Boaz to Ruth.

When Naomi discovered where Ruth had worked and how much she’d gleaned, she recognized God’s hand, marking a turning point in her grief journey. 

He has not stopped showing his kindness (ḥesed) to the living and the dead.

Ruth 2:20

Hope sprang to life in Naomi’s heart as she moved from hopeless to hopeful.

Naomi ~ From Empty to Full

As Naomi’s attitude changed, so did her outlook. She transitioned from self-absorption to concern for Ruth’s future. It was her turn to do ḥesed, so she played matchmaker between Boaz and Ruth. Again, God was just out of sight, arranging circumstances and working through his people to restore Naomi’s honor. Ruth and Boaz married and produced a son, filling Naomi’s heart with joy and home with laughter. In time, Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Jesus.

Five Steps to Rediscover God’s Presence

What should we do when we sense we’ve lost God? What can we learn from Naomi?

1. Return to where we last discerned his presence. For Naomi, that was a geographical location. For us, it may be a habit of Bible reading or prayer or church attendance.
2. Recognize and grieve our losses, acknowledging the damage they’ve done. Naomi shared her hurting heart with the women of her village. She admitted her grief had left her bitter. We need to express our feelings both to God and to trusted friends.
3. Receive the love and help of friends. Naomi allowed Ruth to accompany and assist her. God uses people to comfort and minister to people. We must fight the desire to withdraw, letting others walk with us through our pain.
4. Reach out to others who are hurting. Naomi wasn’t the only grieving widow. Her sensitivity and action to provide what Ruth needed were part of her healing. When we get involved in easing the pain of others, we find the throbbing in our hearts lessened. 
5. Resolve to trust God’s heart even when we can’t see his hand. We can find God’s sovereignty and ḥesed throughout Naomi’s story. He was always working for her even though, at first, she thought he was working against her.

Perhaps Naomi thought she had lost God, but he never lost her. Even in her despair, he was working to redeem her from shame and restore her honor. Redemption is always his goal; he wants to fill our emptiness with his presence. Will we let him?