Luke 7:13

New International Version (NIV)

When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

For Meditation

Her world had collapsed around her; for her husband had died and left her to face a world that was unkind to widows. Perhaps, her son was a little boy then, and she may have stretched her resources to bring him up – the common plight of single mothers. The boy may have become the only support for his mother, and she may have found her place in the community again. But now, he was dead. A sudden and unexpected goodbye had been cruelly dealt to this widow of Nain a second time; and she was devastated. It may have been just a little headache, but he was gone for good – or so she thought – until the Carpenter from Nazareth came by the company that was taking her dead son for burial.

“Don’t cry,” Jesus said (Lk. 7:13).

The widow may have heard those words before, but this was different. They were comforting and hopeful. Then she heard that life-given command from the Lord:

“Young man, I say to you, get up!”

There are times when life deals us a deadly blow. Everything good around us may have shut down. The marriage that promised the best life has turned into a horror movie. A stable and reliable job is lost at a critical time; an investment turns out badly, a health challenge worsens, or a loved one shockingly passes away. Whatever it is, we suffer a severe and cruel setback; and we can’t piece any of it together. Those are times we have to remember that there is a rainbow at the end of the devastating rainfall that gives assurance of a secure future after all. That rainbow is Jesus!

Jesus didn’t just happen to pass by the burying party in Nain. He went there purposefully to bring relief to the widow, and to reveal His glory to the people (15-17). He knows the situation of everybody, and the heart that is crying to God for deliverance. He had the widow’s number; and He knows yours too. There should be no debate about His coming into your situation. It is more of what you will do with the miraculous intervention.

1. What’s your story?
2. How are you telling it?
3. Can you trust Jesus to change your narrative?
4. Do you know that time and distance cannot keep Him from stepping into your situation?
5. Hasn’t He given enough proof of His heart for the suffering, and His grace to embrace the weary?

I pray you’ll remember that our Savior still makes house calls to bring relief to the suffering and hope for the future.

So: May you see the face of Jesus through your tears today; and may He touch you and bring life to your dead situations.

No dead situation in your life can resist the command of Jesus to come alive.

Shalom