Day 1 — “From Full to Empty”
Text: Ruth 1:1–6, 19–21 (ESV)
Key line: “I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty.” (1:21)
Big Idea
Naomi’s story opens with famine, exile, death, and public shame. She names her pain and calls God “Shaddai” (the Almighty), interpreting her losses under his sovereign hand. This is biblical lament: honest grief brought to the God who hears.
Reflect
- Naomi left “full” (full husband/sons/status), returned “empty.” What have you lost that once felt like fullness?
- Note: the narrator quietly signals hope—return to Bethlehem (“House of Bread”) at the beginning of harvest (1:22). God is already at work behind the scenes.
Pray
“Father, you invite me to tell the truth about my sorrow. I bring you my emptiness without pretending. Meet me in it.”
Practice
Write a 10-minute lament prayer. Use the Psalms’ pattern: (1) address God, (2) complaint, (3) request, (4) trust. Consider Psalm 13; Psalm 42; Lamentations 3:19–24.
Day 2 — “The Friend Who Stays”
Text: Ruth 1:16–18 (ESV)
Key line: “Where you go I will go… your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”
Big Idea
In Naomi’s emptiness, God sends a person. Ruth embodies covenant love (ḥesed): she binds her future to Naomi’s. Faithful friends sit with us in the silence, carry risk with us, and gently re-introduce hope.
Reflect
- Ruth is a Moabite—Naomi’s wound and God’s instrument at once. Where has God used something associated with your pain to become a channel of care?
- Boaz later honors Ruth precisely for her kindness to Naomi (2:10–12).
Pray
“Lord, thank you for flesh-and-blood mercies. Make me a Ruth-friend to someone who feels empty today.”
Practice
Name one suffering person. Text or visit with three simple moves: name their pain (no fixing), note God’s nearness (Ps. 34:18), offer tangible help this week.
Day 3 — “Under His Wings”
Text: Ruth 2:1–13, 20–23 (ESV)
Key line: “The God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (2:12)
Big Idea
Ruth “happens” into Boaz’s field (2:3)—providence disguised as coincidence. Boaz, a worthy man, shelters her, feeds her, and protects her. Through ordinary obedience (gleaning!) and ordinary kindness (Boaz!), God rebuilds Naomi’s life.
Reflect
- Bethlehem means House of Bread; Naomi returns at harvest. Where do you see small, ordinary loaves God is placing in your hands right now?
- God’s wings today often look like God’s people (church family, neighbors, mentors).
Pray
“Cover me, Lord. Teach me to live close to your wings through ordinary faithfulness.”
Practice
Choose one “ordinary means” today—Scripture (Ps. 91:1–4), prayer, gathered worship, a meal with a believer—and consciously receive it as God’s wing-care.
Day 4 — “The Greater Friend and Redeemer”
Text: Ruth 3:6–13; Philippians 2:5–11 (ESV)
Key lines: “Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” (Ruth 3:9)
“…but emptied himself… even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:7–8)
Big Idea
Ruth asks Boaz to “cover” her—the language Boaz used for God’s wings. Boaz acts at cost to himself to secure their future (see Ruth 4:1–10). He foreshadows Jesus—the Friend who doesn’t just sit with our emptiness but takes it on himself, redeeming us by his blood.
Reflect
- Naomi could not fix her emptiness; Ruth acted for her. Likewise, we cannot self-redeem. Christ emptied himself to fill us.
- Consider your “low points” (loss, shame, feeling God’s hand against you). On the cross, Jesus stands there in your place (Gal. 3:13; Heb. 12:2).
Pray
“Jesus, greater Boaz, cover me with your righteousness. I renounce self-saving and rest in your finished work.”
Practice
Confess one specific burden to Christ, out loud. Then receive John 1:16: “from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”
Day 5 — “From Obed to Jesus: Fullness That Lasts”
Text: Ruth 4:13–17; Matthew 1:1, 5–6; Colossians 1:19; 2:9–10 (ESV)
Key lines: “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer.” (Ruth 4:14)
“In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” (Col. 1:19)
Big Idea
Naomi’s story ends in reversal: arms once empty now cradle Obed. Yet Obed is more than provision—he’s a promise. He points to David, and David to Jesus, in whom God’s fullness dwells and from whose fullness we receive. God’s kindness had never left Naomi; it will never leave you in Christ.
Reflect
- The women say Obed will “be to you a restorer of life” (4:15)—language of future hope. What promise of God do you need to clutch today?
- God’s gifts (people, provision) are signposts to the Giver, not replacements for him.
Pray
“Father, thank you that your kindness hasn’t left me. Anchor my hope in Jesus—the Redeemer promised and provided.”
Practice
End this 5-day journey with thanksgiving: list ten concrete evidences of God’s kindness in this season—large or small. Share one with a friend to build their faith.