Luke 7:13-15 – When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
Jesus was moved with compassion on this poor widow who was losing her son. The beauty of this passage shows clearly that Jesus is effected by the things that effect us. Now let this soak in for a minute, He is not far off from us and removed from our problems, He lives in us and moves amongst us continually, He is constantly praying for us especially in our times of trouble. This is why the humanity of Jesus is so special to us as Christians, Jesus suffered and was tempted as a man in every way just as we are. He understands what humans feel because He not only became human, He is serving today as a man as our Intercessory High Priest in heaven orchestrating all things. His prayers and actions flow out of His love for us and nothing can ever change that. Here is a description of the compassion of Jesus from the Passion Notes.
“The Greek word splanchnizomai denotes the deepest level of compassion. There is no greater word in the Greek language to describe the depth of emotion Jesus felt for this widow over the loss of her son. Splanchnizomai is actually the word for “intestines.” Jesus’ emotions fully identified with her grief and he carried her sorrow.”
So what kind of trouble are you facing today? Maybe you got a bad report from your doctor, or maybe you just heard about a family member who is being effected by substance abuse, or maybe you are facing financial catastrophe. Our world is like a mine field and people are hurting all around us. We are all living in the middle of these struggles everyday sometimes drawing precariously close to death’s door. At moments like these the love of God can break through into our world and change everything. His love is limitless and is always available to us. So why not take a moment today and just draw near to God, He loves you more than you know and is always there in our times of greatest need.