Sep 20, 2026 · 55 min · 10 segments
Grief and loss can make us feel helpless and powerless. Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz are all learning the same life lesson at the same time. In this message from Ruth 2, Pastor Philip Miller walks us through…
Philip MillerHost
Tim StaffordPanelist
We're studying the book of Ruth, and really this series is kind of about grief, isn't it? And one of the things that makes grief and loss so difficult is the sense of helplessness that can come over us.
We often feel very powerless or like we're victims of the harshness of the realities of life.
There's nothing we can say or do to change the outcomes of the things we're facing.
And if we're not careful, fall into kind of a victim mentality, can't we? Where we feel helpless and disempowered and grow angry and bitter at our circumstances and even at God at times.
And who can really blame Naomi, really? I mean, she's lost her husband, her two adult sons.
In her ancient Near Eastern context, this means there's no one to work the fields, so there's no income.
There's no one to protect and defend her legally, to represent her in the courts.
There's no one to inherit the family property and so ensure the legacy of the family.
We're studying the book of Ruth, and really this series is kind of about grief, isn't it? And one of the things that makes grief and loss so difficult is the sense of helplessness that can come over us.
We often feel very powerless or like we're victims of the harshness of the realities of life.
There's nothing we can say or do to change the outcomes of the things we're facing.
And if we're not careful, fall into kind of a victim mentality, can't we? Where we feel helpless and disempowered and grow angry and bitter at our circumstances and even at God at times.
And who can really blame Naomi, really? I mean, she's lost her husband, her two adult sons.
In her ancient Near Eastern context, this means there's no one to work the fields, so there's no income.
There's no one to protect and defend her legally, to represent her in the courts.
There's no one to inherit the family property and so ensure the legacy of the family.
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