The Widow of Nain

Luke 7

11 ¶ And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

 I have heard this story several times.... another raising of the dead....another testament of Jesus' ministry and power. 

Recently, I've had my eyes opened to the real story. 

Imagine this woman.... a widow. Her husband has died. All she has left is her son, but then her son dies. And you have to understand that at this moment in time, a woman without a man means she is literally nothing. She has nothing. She will become a beggar....She will become nothing. Her weeping and sorrow makes complete sense. She isn't just crying because she lost her son; she is crying because she lost EVERYTHING. 

I loved that "much people of the city was with her". I'd like to think that maybe she was well loved by the people. They all understood what this meant for her and they wanted to follow the funeral procession to show support. Then the One who can give the best support came.

"Weep not" 

Two words that probably filled her with such comfort and desire for peace in her heart. 

But then the Savior went further, like he always does, and raised her only son from the dead. AND THEN DELIVERED HIM TO HIS MOTHER. 

Gosh, this story makes me cry now that I understand. 

The Savior will not leave us comfortless. He will ALSO make things good again. Sometimes it's not the way we think it will be, but the Lord knows what we need. 

It's so hard to say that. He knows what I need. 

How can he know what I need? I know how I feel in this moment and what I want right now..... and I'm not getting it. He can't know what I need because if He knew, then I would get it. 

Do you think that the woman expected her son to be raised from the dead? Do you think she even knew who the Savior was at that time? She may have heard the stories, but I don't think she knew who He really was. 

Sometimes the things that happen to us are completely unexpected. And if they are good, then we know they come from the Lord. The Lord is good and will give us good things in our life. We may not feel like they are good, but I know that He will provide. He performs miracles in our lives daily. If we know Him, then we will be able to see them.