Consider This...... A Valuable Reminder!

Who is the saddest person in the Bible?

My vote goes to a woman we meet in Luke 7. We do not know her name, age, or what happened to her husband or, for that matter, her son. All we know is that she is a widow who lives in the little village of Nain and, when we meet her, her worst nightmare has just come true. She is accompanying her only son’s body as they take him to the cemetery to be buried.

Being a widow in New Testament times was difficult. Being a widow who lost her only son was a disaster! Women did not work outside the home. They relied on their husband or their male children to provide for them. In other words, not only was this woman sad and grieving, but she was also in big trouble! Fortunately, her situation was about to change again. She was about to meet Jesus.

Scripture tells us that when Jesus saw her, “His heart went out to her” (Luke 7:13). Other translations say, “He felt deep (or great) compassion for her”. I am told that the Greek expression here is the strongest one possible. Jesus did not feel a little sorry for her. His heart broke on her behalf! That is why he went to the casket, raised the boy from the dead and gave him back to his mother (verses 14-15).

When we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, it is tempting to wonder if God sees or cares at all. Even worse, we can conclude that God is angry at us or that he is mean. None of that is true!

You may not always get what you want, but never doubt that God sees, knows, and loves you. Never, for a moment, think he does not care. That simply is not true!

Just ask the widow of Nain!

“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted” (Psalm 34:18)

Comments

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly. https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s

Consider This: Twenty-three Descriptions of God (Psalm 145)

Let’s play a quick game. Take 10 seconds and list 5 or 6 words to describe God. Got your words? Good! Here comes the game part. I will list twenty-three ways that David describes God in Psalm 145, and we will see how many of his words match yours. David says that God is, the king, great, majestic, wonderful, powerful, awesome, abundant in goodness, righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all, glorious, mighty, trustworthy, faithful, supporting, generous, providing, near, saving and watching. How did you do? This is not a useless exercise. The words we use to describe God not only indicate something about how we see him, but they also influence how we interact with him. For example, if I know that God is “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (verse 8), I will not fear him, and I will not assume that he is against me. When I remember that...

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants. Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do. Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most. In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks. However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like! Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites. That is not true. They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...

Consider this

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

Search This Blog