Luke 7:11–17 ‘His heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”’ (v13)
The woman in this story is a widow; she is grieving, inconsolable. Her only son is dead – in a society where widows were wholly dependent on their sons to take care of them.
Jesus sees the suffering, and His heart is touched. In compassion He tells her not to cry; He touches the coffin, and commands the young man back to life. We can only imagine the overwhelming joy of the mother as her life is given back to her – quite literally.
And as for the son, he ‘began to talk’ (v15) – I wonder what he said! Verse 16 tells us the crowds were ‘filled with awe’.
There are times in our lives when something seems so unreachable, so far away, so ‘over’, that we can feel hopeless.
Perhaps it is a work situation, a relationship, a health problem. But Jesus, who raised the dead, can breathe new life into impossible situations.
We may not always get the answer we expect, but asking Jesus to step into the situation will bring a new perspective, and ultimately, hope. He invites us to bring our troubles to Him, because He ‘cares for [us]’ (1 Pet. 5:7).
Our tears are not hidden from Him, but so often we feel He doesn’t see our sorrow; that He is a long way away, distant and remote. But that isn’t true. Psalm 145:18 says He is ‘near’ to us.
He wants to share our life journey, through the rocky places and in the shadows, as well as enjoying our sunny days and laughter. Following Jesus is, after all, about relationship with the One whose heart ‘goes out’ to us.
