“Now Naomi had a relative of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, ‘Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain following one in whose eyes I may find favor.’ And she said to her, ‘Go, my daughter.’ So she left and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.” Ruth 2:1-3

In moments of grief, one of the hardest questions to answer is “What’s next?” When pain feels all-consuming, it is hard to discern the next steps to take. Instead of sitting in hopelessness, Ruth pressed on to do the next thing needed for she and Naomi—find food. This could have been a risky step as a foreigner, but it was the step she knew she had to take. Taking that simple next step opened many doors she had no idea were possible.

When we follow the Lord, the next step may not be easy, but it always worth taking in faith that God is working in every moment. We may not have the answers to all our questions, but God is always faithful, staying with us through hardship and pain, and prompting us to trust Him with the details and take the next step with Him. God is sovereign over the big things and the small—the major plans and the minor details. We don’t have to rush the process of grief or take on the burden of it by ourselves. God simply calls us to live devoted to Him. As we depend on Him, He will bring together the details, as He did for Ruth.

• When have you struggled with what to do next in a time of grief? How did God show you the next steps to take?
• What are some of the details of life you currently need to entrust to God?
• Pray and thank God for providing for you and being over all the details of your life and the world.