1 Timothy 5:1-5 - Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as
sisters, with absolute purity. Give proper recognition to those
widows who are really in need. But if a widow has
children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their
religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their
parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and
left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and
day to pray and to ask God for help.
I just keep being amazed at Paul’s wisdom…and this one hit
me right where I am in life. Paul spends
time in this letter to Timothy to tell him how important it is that we first ….respect
the others around us…whether young or old.
Then he addresses a special population of survivors…the precious
widow. He defines for us the true widow…and
makes all of us examine how we care for others…especially our own family. He charges all of us to examine how we treat
others…and he charges the widow with the hard task of moving past her pain and finding
purpose again. The answer to fulfillment
after the loss of a spouse is in truly giving all you have to God…to turn that
pain over to him and allow him to repurpose your life.
In my 53 years of life…no other time…no other season has
devastated my heart so as the loss of my spouse. It was only compounded by the short time we
knew each other…God giving me such a precious gift…a true soul mate...then
calling him home just 4 short months after we met…1 precious month after we
were married. I felt the pain of loss…so empty…so ready to crawl in the nearest
corner and just give up on life….so jealous that God was not finished with me
too. It spoke straight to my heart when
he said, “ really in need…all alone”…for even on my worst days I can still call
on a son …daughter …friend … church member.
Even though I feel alone so much of the time…long for the intimate companionship
that comes only from a spouse… I have but to look up to Heaven and seek God for
my comfort…for he longs to heal me…so I can get back to the task he placed me
here for.
I thought quickly of two special widows that understood what
Paul was trying to tell Timothy here.
One of them was a sweet Lady named Anna.
Her story is found in Luke 2… verses 36-37 , “ There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was
very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and
then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She
never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.” Wow…what
a testament to the power of prayer…what dedication we could strive for…to turn
every moment of our lives over to God…to really dedicate all that we are to his
will for our lives. We are not told what this prophetess spoke to Mary and
Joseph that day…but I am sure it was as strengthening and Simon’s words just
minutes before. She allowed God to heal
her and give her the strength to be his messenger…she used her great faith to
speak God’s messages to all that entered the temple daily.
Another sweet widow I remember reading about was the
destitute woman and her son from Zarephath.
Her powerful story of how God saved not only her own life…but the life
of her son and the great prophet Elijah is in 1 Kings 17:7-24. This great example of how one minute we can
be so caught up in our pain we pray for death…and the next minute God is
meshing together a great plan that uses us in ways we never dreamed….is only
one example of how God uses supernatural powers to sustain life for three
servants he was not finished with yet.
Her supply of food was replenished daily by pure faith so that God could
show her his mighty power and help her understand that he longs for us to be wholly
his.
Father..I find myself strengthened once again this morning
as I read these powerful words that help me define my need for you to be in
total control of my life. Thank you for
allowing Paul to write these powerful instructions for me to read in this season
of life. Thank you for reminding me that
I will never be truly alone…I have the comfort of family…. friends…a great church…you
have provided for me a great home to live…you have blessed me with a job and more
resources than I ever dreamed to provide for all my needs. Thank you …thank you …thank you for helping
me to heal and find purpose in my life. Thank you for reminding me that you are
not finished with me yet…I have work to do for you. Help me learn to devote more of my time and
energy to study and prayer…like Anna…let me constantly seek you in worship and
prayer. Send to me the Elijah’s of the
present world….and show me your will for my life. Amen.
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