City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

¹¹ Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹² As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

–Luke 7:11-17 ESV

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses in Luke depict what starts as a sad scene transformed into a celebration of God’s resurrection power. There is one verse in particular from the passage above that I would like to highlight: 

¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

–Luke 7:13. 

This verse is referring to the broken-hearted mother who was grappling with the hard fact of losing her son. What’s more, we learn this woman is a widow–which meant losing her son not only devastated her emotionally, but also physically as she likely relied on her son for financial support. This woman was not only grieving the loss of her son’s life, but also her own. 

What’s so important and life-changing about this verse is the Lord’s involvement. It says He “saw her and had compassion on her.” This shows us that the Lord was not blind towards this woman’s pain. Not only that, He moved towards it! The words He spoke to her offered hope: “do not weep.” The story unfolds with Jesus miraculously raising the woman’s son back to life and an ensuing celebration/holy reverence in who Jesus is. 

There’s nothing like a verifiably dead man being raised to life to bring hope to a broken heart. However, one could argue what’s even more miraculous is Jesus’ love and care towards the grieving mom. Think of it. Rather than just gloss over this funeral procession as a casual observer, Jesus got involved, moved toward the grieving woman, and touched the bier. 

What this shows us is that the Lord’s presence changes everything. He brings hope to the broken hearted. 

Application

When you are grieving a loss or experiencing disappointment, how can you invite the Lord into that painful circumstance? Rather than stuff it, numb it, or give yourself over to it completely, how about seeking God’s presence in those painful moments? 

Allow Jesus to “touch the bier” and watch Him bring new life into that situation. Surely it will lead to a celebration of who God is. 

Prayer

Father God, I thank You for Your compassionate approach towards broken hearts. I believe and receive Psalm 34:18: 

‘The Lord is close to all whose hearts are crushed by pain, and he is always ready to restore the repentant one.’ –Psalms 34:18 (TPT)

I invite You to touch the dead things I’m grieving over and bring them back to life according to Your purpose, so that Your name will be honored and glorified in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.