As I continue to think about the Lord and His interactions with others, these weeks before Easter,I’m reminded of these two wonderful, but contrasting, examples.

Jesus has just finished teaching the famous parables about the blind leading the blind, and building our houses on the rock (Luke 6), and then walks into Capernaum.

He is quickly met by Jewish elders requesting help for a Centurion—a Roman soldier.

This Centurion (likely a Gentile) was described as deserving help “for he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue “.

But as Jesus approaches his house, the humble Centurion, sent his servants to meet Jesus and tell him he was not worthy to have Jesus come to his house to heal his servant; but he believed that if Jesus just spoke the word his dear servant would be healed.

Jesus remarks, that he had not “found such great faith even in Israel”. (Luke 7:1-10)

But THEN there’s the next day. (And I’m so thankful for the next day).

Because what happened the next day helps me know, that in our moments of great faith, and in our moments of falling apart, Jesus still sees us.

He doesn’t walk the other way.
He keeps walking towards us.

That next day, Jesus comes to the city of Nain where a large crowd has gathered. A widow is weeping as her only son has died and is being carried out. (Luke 7:11-16)

Notice this —there are no words to describe this widow’s great faith. There is no one suggesting she deserves God to intervene. The only thing we are told is that this woman is weeping. She is falling apart, and Jesus has compassion on her and raises her son to life.

Jesus saw her.
She did nothing.
He did everything.

Oh friend, God sees His children, and He has compassion on us because that is exactly Who He is!

Yes, sometimes we will have moments of great faithfulness and others will see the Lord in us. Let’s pray to live that way!

But other times, we may fall apart. Life is hard. Life is scary.

But remember this…Jesus loves us, not because of what we manage to do, but because that is Who He is.

Yes! We should long for Him to one day say, “good and faithful servant”. Yes! We should seek to follow Him and walk in truth every day. But we also, desperately, need to know, and rest in the fact, that His compassions they fail not!!! (Lam 3:22)

We fail.
Our emotions fail.
But Jesus NEVER does.

He sees us. (Matt 10:29-31)
He loves us. (John 3:16)
He won’t leave us. (Deut 31:6)

He hasn’t left us now, even in these scary, uncertain, and hard days.

Let’s keep casting our cares on Him and remember He cares for us. (1 Pet 5:7)

The One who cannot lie (Titus 1:2) tells us, “after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1Pet 5:10)

He will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish YOU!

Weeping may last for a night, but, because of Jesus, joy comes in the morning! (Psalm 30:5) He, alone, can turn our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11)!

May His praise ever be on our lips! May we hold tight to the One who sees us and loves us in our most faithful of days and in the ones when we fall apart.

whataSavior

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***As always, I would so appreciate it if you would pray for me as I study and write. May our Father, alone, be glorified.

Let’s keep encouraging each other to hold tight to the Hope that is Christ the Lord.

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