Luke 7:13 “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
At first glance this seems a very unfeeling thing to say. Here this widow woman has lost her only son, and her only supporter. Her situation is doubly pathetic. She has lost all that she could depend on in this world. But, Jesus tells her, quite directly, don’t cry.
Are these the words of one who has no feeling for the loss this woman has endured? No. It is said in the same tone, and with the same meaning, that is employed by the mother speaking to the child that has just skinned his or her knee. It is a soothing comfort. It is said from a heart full of love, and from a heart that, above all others, has the best hope of helping to alleviate the pain of the moment.
Jesus often approaches those who are hurting in a similar way. At first, if we do not know Him, or the ability behind His words, the command to quit crying comes abruptly and can be offensive to us. But, after we experience the power of His comfort, it is the most welcome sound in the universe. By His fiat, He mollifies the grief that He understands better than we do ourselves.
Heavenly Father, thank You for making us know Your great love! We at first may cringe, as we have learned not to trust anyone or anything. But, with time we see You are all that we need to trust. With dependence upon You, we have no need left for trust in our own attempts, and our trust in all else is tempered by our reliance upon You. We will praise You for Your great faithfulness! We tell ourselves we are loyal to You, but even that is a reminder that You are ever loyal to Your own. To You be all the glory! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.