When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Luke 7:13 (NIV)
One day Jesus went to a town called Nain, and as he got near to the town gate, Christ saw a large crowd gathered around a widow. They were carrying the body of her only son who had died.
Luke says, “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her” (7:13). Literally, Jesus “was moved to the core of his being.” Then Jesus raised the boy to life and gave him back to his mother.
The Gospels are full of the affection of Jesus for those who are least in this world, so it should not surprise us that the whole Bible is full of God’s compassion for his children.
- “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing” (Dt. 10:18).
- “Sing to God, sing praise to his name… A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling” (Psa. 68:4, 5).
- An entire book of the Bible (Ruth) is given to the story of three widows—Ruth, Orpah and Naomi—and how God provided hope and a future for them.
- In 1 Timothy, we have half a chapter devoted to this marvelous ministry. About one sixth of this entire letter is about ministry to widows.
To all the widows in the church today, and to all the godly women who struggle with the unique pressures that come to a single mother—you have a special place in the heart of God.
Are you a widow or a single mother? Take this to heart. If not, do you know a widow or a single mother you could share this with?