He Saw Her

"When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. 'Don't cry!' He said. Then He walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. 'Young man,' He said, 'I tell you, get up.'"

Luke 7:11-17 (NLT)

She'd lost everything. First her husband, and now, her son. Unlike the Roman Officer whose story we learn of just a few verses prior, she did not seek Jesus out. He found her. A large crowd was following Him, the passage tells us--to the village of Nain. The funeral procession was coming His way--a large crowd was also with her. In a way, the two groups collide and Jesus, He sees her.

I'm just sitting with that for a minute. He saw her.

Not only that, but when He saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. 

A friend of mine looked up the definition of compassion as she studied this story this week. It spoke of deep empathy that moves one toward action. Here we see Jesus embodying the definition... He steps into her shoes and feels the reality of her story--He understands the depth of her loss and I'm certain, knows what's ahead for her in life without her son. At the time, a woman with no husband and no son had no way to provide for herself. Desolation. Poverty. Hopelessness. Death.

She had every reason for disappointment, grief and despair. But then, Jesus comes along and sees her; and His compassion moves Him to act. He wakes her son up and restores him to his mother. The Word says it plainly, "And Jesus gave him back to his mother."

In a moment, her whole story changed again. Hope was rekindled and life was revived while disappointment, grief and despair died. Those who witnessed it revered God, praising Him saying, "God has visited His people today."

I feel like that woman. Disappointment and the deaths that accompany it have weighed me down during what feels like a never-ending season. I long to hope and believe that He sees me and when He does, His heart overflows with compassion, but I'm still experiencing a disconnect. 

Fear and past rejections have dug roads in my soul that have been infiltrated with roots running so deep that if pulled, would bring absolute destruction. I want life, but I don't know how He can provide it with all that death in the way. It seems impossible, in fact, and my disappointment blinds me from seeing anything beyond what is in front of my face. 

Does He see me? Will His heart overflow with compassion for me? 

I hope.