A Devotional from Yangon, Myanmar

“As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’”
- Luke 7:12-13 -

This widow's situation is serious - she has lost her husband and now her 'only son' (v 12) has died, her last means of support; she will be left penniless and her future will be bleak. Luke emphasizes how dire her situation is. When Jesus sees her, Luke says, 'His heart went out to her' (v 13) - the Greek indicates an intense feeling of pity and compassion for someone. When Jesus tells her not to cry, he is recognizing her desperate situation and reassuring her that it will be okay. Luke is saying that Jesus notices the broken and hopeless and is moved by their plight; so much so that he brings hope out of tragedy and restores the widow's son to life.

Are you in a hopeless situation, surrounded by tragedy? Jesus' heart is moved for you in just the same way.

Prayer: God cares for the details of our lives and intervenes miraculously. Replace the pain and tragedy of our lives with your hope today.

(A Summary from Encounter with God)