Ruth’s book reminds us that life is filled with sorrows, like loss, unmet expectations, and unknowns. We can relate to the characters in Ruth because we’re reminded that life is real. How we envisioned life, turned out to be disappointing. Dreams we hoped for turned into nightmares of pain. Reading Ruth teaches us characters in the Bible are a lot like us. They lived real lives and weathered with real sorrows.

As we reflect on the Week of Prayer this year, we desire to learn from the characters of the first chapter of Ruth and see how they endured their real sorrows. Like us, they knew the promises of God. Like us, they had to apply what God said to what they experienced. They had to turn to God when life looked hopeless. Using the Psalms, we’ll give emotional commentary to scenes from Ruth 1 to see how we can turn to God when sorrows come our way. This Week of Prayer, we will see how our sorrow can be met with a Savior. We will learn to pray over the sorrows of our real lives and hope in the gospel.