7-Day Devotional Reading Plan

WEEK 2 Devotional  Ruth 1:6–22 You may return carrying sorrow, but your story is still unfolding.  

Last week we watched a father run to welcome his son home. This week we walk with Naomi as she returns to  Bethlehem. The town is familiar, but her life has changed. If the holidays bring both joy and an ache for what  used to be, take a few minutes each day to read, reflect, and pray with her story.  

Day 1 Take the Next Step Read Ruth 1:6–7  

Word reaches Naomi in Moab that the Lord has provided food for his people. So she gets up and starts toward  Bethlehem. She’ll be walking back into a town full of memories, without the husband and sons who left with  her.  Maybe you know what it’s like to see familiar faces after a loss and wonder what you’ll say when someone  asks how you’ve been. You can take a step toward God and toward people who love you with tears still in your  eyes. For Naomi, the first step was getting on the road. Yours may be as simple as opening your Bible or  making a phone call.  

Respond What is one step toward God or toward someone you trust that you have the strength to take today?  Take it if you can.  

Pray Father, you know what I’m carrying. Give me the strength to take the next step with you. Amen.  

Day 2 Tell God How It Hurts Read Ruth 1:8–14  

Naomi asks the Lord to show kindness to Ruth and Orpah. A few verses later, she tells them how bitter life has  become for her, and they weep together. The same woman who prays for God’s kindness struggles to see it in  her own life.  Maybe you’ve prayed for someone else and then sat in your truck wondering how to pray about your own  situation. You can start with what you’d say to a friend you trust. God can hear the prayer you pray through  tears, even if all you can get out is one sentence.  

Respond Finish this sentence in prayer or in a journal. “Lord, the hardest part right now is …” Give yourself a  quiet moment after you say it.  

Pray Lord, hear me as I tell you how this feels. Help me trust you with the words I’ve been holding back. Amen.  

Day 3 Let Someone Walk Beside You Read Ruth 1:15–19  

Ruth has grief of her own. Still, she commits herself to Naomi, to Naomi’s people, and to the Lord. Then she  does what she said she would do. She walks with Naomi all the way to Bethlehem.  Sometimes God’s kindness comes through the person who sits beside you when you return to church, or the  friend who calls after everyone else has gone home. It can feel awkward to ask someone to walk with you. Try  asking for one thing they can say yes to, like a phone call or a seat next to them on Sunday.  

Respond Tell one person you trust what would help this week. You might say, “Could we talk for a few minutes  tonight?”  

Pray Father, thank you for the people who walk beside me. Give me the courage to ask for help and the grace  to receive it. Amen.  

Day 4 Stay Long Enough to Listen Read Ruth 1:19–21  

When the women of Bethlehem see Naomi, they ask if it’s really her. Naomi tells them to call her Mara,  meaning bitter. She says she has come home empty. Listen to what that word carries for her. She’s back in  familiar streets without the people she expected to grow old with.  At Wagoner First, we can make room for the honest answer when we ask how someone is doing. A friend may  want to tell a story about the person they miss. Give them time. If they’ve already told you that story, listen for  what it means to them to tell it again.  

Respond Think of someone whose holidays will feel different this year. Reach out and give them time to tell  you how the season feels. 

Pray Jesus, make me patient enough to listen. Help me remember the people who may feel alone after the  gathering is over. Amen.  

Day 5 At the Beginning of the Harvest Read Ruth 1:22 and Ruth 2:1–3  

Ruth and Naomi arrive in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. At the end of chapter one, that  sounds like a detail about when they got home. In chapter two, the harvest gives Ruth a place to look for food,  and she finds herself in a field belonging to Boaz.  The barley growing outside town and Naomi’s sorrow are both real. She’ll need time to see how that field  becomes part of God’s care for them. You may see only enough for today. A meal dropped at your door or a  friend who remembers to check in next week can be a kindness worth receiving on its own.  

Respond Name one ordinary kindness you’ve received recently. Thank God for it, and tell the person who  offered it what it meant to you if you can.  

Pray Father, help me receive what you give me today. I trust you with what I can’t see yet. Amen.  

Day 6 Jesus Weeps with Us Read John 11:32–36  

Mary comes to Jesus after her brother Lazarus dies. She tells him that if he had been there, her brother would  still be alive. Jesus sees her weeping. Then he weeps, too. Even with the miracle he is about to perform, Jesus  shares the sorrow of the people he loves.  You can speak to Jesus as plainly as Mary did. Tell him what you wish had happened. Tell him whose voice  you miss hearing. If a familiar song or a seat at the table catches you off guard this season, take a moment  and let Jesus hear what it brings up for you.  

Respond Bring one specific memory or unanswered question to Jesus today. Give yourself time to sit with him  in prayer.  

Pray Jesus, thank you for meeting Mary in her sorrow. Help me remember that I can come to you with mine.  Amen.  

Day 7 Trust Jesus with the Unfinished Story Read Ruth 4:13–17 and Matthew 1:5–6, 16  

Years after the women walked into Bethlehem, Ruth’s great-grandson David would become king. Generations  later, Matthew names Ruth in the family line of Jesus. On the day Naomi got home, she could tell you who was  missing from her family. The generations ahead were still beyond anything she could see.  Jesus went to the cross for us and rose again. Because he lives, we can entrust our future to him even when  we struggle to imagine it. You may still be carrying the same sorrow you brought to the first day of this  devotional. Bring it to Jesus again, and ask him for enough strength for the next step.  

Respond Look back over the week. What is one prayer, one conversation, or one act of kindness you want to  carry into the days ahead?  

Pray Jesus, you know the whole story of my life. Give me grace for today and help me trust you with the days I  cannot see. Amen.