WORDS: for good or evil?

 

                      castles in his heart 

                         

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                                  And now for today's blog

                    When the going is tough, Jesus is right there.

How would you react if you heard tapping on a coffin lid? Afraid, excited, or joyful? With shivers down your spine? Jesus interrupted several funerals, three of whom were children.

 

                                                          

    An impoverished widow who lived in Nain, two miles south of Mount Tabor, stared down at the wasted body of her dead son. Nothing she had done had saved him, and now she faced an uncertain future. She called her friends, too grief stricken to prepare him for burial.

 

 “My son has died. How will I bury him since I have no funeral shroud to wrap him in?”

  “I have suitable fabric. We’ll help you.” 

 

They wrapped his body, their dripping tears mingling with hers onto the fabric. It would be her last loving act before they placed him on the stretcher. The pall bearers and the widow lined the street, as the mourners lifted their voices in an eerie dirge of bitter sorrow.

 

She led the funeral procession, passing under the town gate. A rabbi and his disciples chattered among themselves, enjoying their camaraderie as they entered Nain, but their loud voices grated on her grief-stricken heart and deepened her despair. She wished they’d leave her in peace to bury her dead. The rabbi’s intense gaze grabbed her attention, and she turned to meet him.

 

He stood still, and his followers fell silent, his face filling with deep compassion. He drew near, placed a gentle hand on the funeral bier, and smiled at the widow. Her tear-filled eyes met his and, in that moment, she saw an ocean of his pure love reflected towards her. No one except her son, who now lay dead on the bier, had ever loved her so much.

 

“Dear lady, don’t cry.”

 

 No one remained to care for her. The widow had every reason to shed bitter tears, and she lowered her gaze to mop her face with her shawl. A tentative hope fluttered in her breast, and she wondered if Jesus could do anything for her or her dead son. The crowd braced themselves, transfixed in wonder at his strange command.

“Get up, young man!”

 

The young man sat up, a torrent of muffled words springing from his bound lips.

“Here’s your son.”

 

The crowd gasped, shrinking in terror, but some realized Jesus had restored her son’s life and the widow’s future, and they praised God.  

 

 

“A mighty prophet has entered our midst. Praise be to Jehovah for helping his people. He has performed a miracle in our midst through this prophet! Hallelujah to our God!” 

 

News about Jesus’ extraordinary powers spread through Judea and the surrounding villages.

 

He’s a miracle worker and the giver of life, but his compassion moves me most of all.

 

If Jesus had arrived in Nain a day sooner, he could have prevented the young man’s death. This was Mary and Martha’s accusation when their brother, Lazarus, died. Although the widow and these sisters grieved, their joy soared when they received their loved one back to life. In resurrecting these people, Jesus performed a greater deed to reveal his Heavenly Father to humanity. God authored life, and he is singular in supplying it. As long as scientists probe the mystery of life, they’ll never create it. God is the source.

 

The Lord Jesus was alert to the widow’s needs and his love, compassion, and ultimate solution to her situation spoke to her heart. For all her days, she would remember Jesus and tell people about him.

 

Do you face an impossible situation? It seems to have gone beyond repair and you’re wondering what your next step will be.

 

 ‘All things are possible with God.’ Matthew 19:26.

 

He plans for our contingencies, works beyond our errors, and understands when he’ll respond to our prayers.

 “Call on me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3.

Heaven holds a storehouse of blessings. If we ask him to help us, he does, according to his will. Jesus shows the same love for us he showed to the Nain widow two thousand years ago.