Weep Not

Weep Not

She was completely and utterly grief stricken. With her head bowed  low and her shoulders stooped in abject despair, she walked in a haze, down the steep, stony pathway. Around her the air was filled with the sounds of crying, some from sympathy, some from deepest compassion and others, who from idle curiosity had joined the mourning throng; added their wailing to the cacophony. She hesitated, stopping to gaze down the mountainside to the lush, green plains below. Thoughts flooded her memory, bringing only a fresh flush of tears as the pasture lands reminded her, of the daily work of her late husband, and now deceased son. What was to become of her? The ‘all too recent’ tragic circumstances that left her bereft of the companionship and support of her husband was still breaking her heart, when suddenly, her only child, her son, had the breath of life snatched away from him. Could there be any greater sorrow than the loss of these two men? Oh how she loved them both. How she missed them. How would she survive? She had no one, absolutely no one left to provide her support and security. She glanced over at the stretcher bearing the lifeless form of her son, now wrapped in white cloths, his face covered. The litter was being carried by his strong young friends. She stepped forward, slowly descending with the small crowd of mourners towards the burial caves that lined the rocky, dusty pathway. Each step sadly taking her towards the finality of her farewell.

The crying crowd, having just left the village gate, paused to make way for a large group who were now ascending the mountainside.Their leader was a man of noble bearing. His compassionate eyes filled with love, as He took in the scene before Him. In that moment He read the life story of the humble, sorrowing widow. Everyone stopped as Jesus spoke in tones of love, understanding and tender feeling to the weeping widow. “Do not Weep”, He gently said. She raised her gaze from the dusty ground and beheld the eyes of deepest love. A flicker of hope came to her hurting heart, the warmth of comfort flooded her soul. People wondered at the ignorance of such  uttered words, after all, this was her only son who had died and not long after the calamitous death of her husband. Jesus’s words seemed so out of place, but were they? There was a silence as the cries of birds could be heard echoing through the burial caves further down the stony road. All eyes were on Jesus as He stepped towards the body being borne by his friends. The young stretcher bearers stood still. What would Jesus do? He is obviously a teacher, a rabbi maybe.  Then Jesus graciously reached out His hand and touched the lifeless one, and in ringing tones of power He called out, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” In utter amazement all beheld as the wrapped body sat up, the cloth falling from his face revealed a robust colour of health and life. He turned to his friends around him and spoke. In haste, they roughly placed the stretcher down in the dust. Jesus bent over the now filled with life, young man and in quiet gentleness He unwrapped the bandages of death. Taking him by the hand, Jesus presented the son, in the full vigour of youthfulness, to his mother. In rapturous joy she clung to her son and in tears of gratefulness, the widow kept uttering her praise over and over to God. The crowd drew closer in amazement and awe. Songs of praise burst from their lips. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” ( Luke 7:16 )

I often wonder about the Widow of Nain and the experience she went through. In life we too find ourselves in bleak situations in which there appears no solution, no way out and no hope. Perhaps you are in that place right now? Perhaps I am? The widow of Nain was. Maybe you are in the time of comfort. It is a seemingly impossible matter, everything is still all dark but Jesus has come to you and consoled you and spoken to your heart, just as He has spoken to mine and said, “ Do not weep,” and in the brief sentence there is  a spark hope. Could this be the time in your life where you see Jesus reach out to touch this insurmountable difficulty with His mighty power. As He reaches, hope and joy spring to life. Could He? Would He? Yes! The situation is solved, a miraculous event occurs, newness and life leaps into the deadest, darkest and coldest of circumstances. Praise courses through our veins and erupts from our lips in deepest heart felt strains to God. Where is your life today? Where is mine? Are we waiting for that touch? Wait in hopeful expectation because God has promised that He will touch it. Weep not. He is there, reaching out to place His hand on your impossible situation and on mine.

Jer 31:17 "There is hope for your future," declares the LORD

Ecc 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time

Rom 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.