I found this article from Keith J. Wilson that I wanted to share. It's about the miracle Christ performed for the Widow of Nain and how He too performs miracles in our lives. For reference, here is a link to the article: In Times of Discouragement, Remember the Widow of Nain. I would highly encourage you to read it sometime, but to condense it, I have highlighted the parts that stood out most to me here.
As President Monson taught, “One day, when we look back at the seeming coincidences of our lives, we will realize that perhaps they weren’t so coincidental after all.”
There are tender mercies and miracles in our lives every day, every week, perhaps even every hour. We need only look and pray to have an increased awareness of them in our lives.
These verses come to mind -- Moroni 7:27-29 -- which read:
The Savior is very present in our lives. He is our advocate with the Father. We are promised as we pray to the Father in His name, with real intent and faith, believing we will receive, we will (see 3 Nephi 18:20 and D&C 98:1-3). Miracles have not ceased, neither have angels ceased to minister unto us. These angels may be our loved ones who have passed on. They are very close to us still. But they may also be angels in our lives here on earth.
As President Kimball has said, "God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.”
I echo Brother Wilson's concluding thoughts:
"Sometimes in the ups and downs of life, we can feel like God is not very active in our day-to-day lives. Our patterns seem rather tedious and monotonous. Not much changes, and it is sometimes hard to point to one area where God has directly intervened in our circumstances. Whenever I am hit with these feelings of insignificance in my own life, I often think of a woman in the New Testament who may have felt this way. She is not named in the scriptures but is simply known by the name of her village and by her marital status.
"The woman is the widow of Nain, and only the evangelist Luke records her amazing story. For me she represents the essence of the Savior’s personalized ministry and how He reached out to the discouraged, common people of His society. This account soundly settles the issue about whether God knows us and cares about us."Brother Wilson then accounts to us the context of the day and story -- this sweet widow had lost her husband and now her son, and that left her "financially, spiritually, and socially destitute". Christ walked some thirty miles uphill to reach the city of Nain and to raise this poor widow's son from the dead. He was there in her exact moment of need.
"Precisely at the narrow window of time when the villagers were carrying this woman’s son out to be buried, Jesus met the procession and “had compassion on her” (Luke 7:13). Actually, this might be Luke’s greatest understatement. Jesus somehow sensed the utterly desperate situation of this widow. Perhaps she had spent the night sprawled on her dirt floor, begging Heavenly Father to know why. Perhaps she had even openly questioned why He was requiring her to live any longer on this earth. Or perhaps she was terrified of the pending loneliness that she would face. We do not know. But we do know that the Savior chose to leave Capernaum, which could have required Him to walk through the night in order to intercept the burial procession right before they put the body in the ground.
"His compassion came from feelings He experienced long before He just “happened” to intercept that burial entourage. He arrived there precisely in her moment of need. Jesus then told the widow to “weep not” (verse 13). Unafraid of ritual uncleanness, He “touched the bier,” and the procession “stood still.” He then commanded, “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise."
As President Monson taught, “One day, when we look back at the seeming coincidences of our lives, we will realize that perhaps they weren’t so coincidental after all.”
There are tender mercies and miracles in our lives every day, every week, perhaps even every hour. We need only look and pray to have an increased awareness of them in our lives.
These verses come to mind -- Moroni 7:27-29 -- which read:
27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have amiracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to bclaim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will acleave unto every good thing; wherefore he badvocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have aangels ceased to minister unto the children of men.The Savior is very present in our lives. He is our advocate with the Father. We are promised as we pray to the Father in His name, with real intent and faith, believing we will receive, we will (see 3 Nephi 18:20 and D&C 98:1-3). Miracles have not ceased, neither have angels ceased to minister unto us. These angels may be our loved ones who have passed on. They are very close to us still. But they may also be angels in our lives here on earth.
As President Kimball has said, "God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.”
I echo Brother Wilson's concluding thoughts:
"Of all Jesus’s miracles during His time on earth, for me, few are as tender and compassionate as His ministering to the widow of Nain. It reminds us that we matter to Him and that He will never forget us. We cannot forget that. When we feel forgotten or overlooked or insignificant, we must remember: Jesus came to the widow in her time of desperate need, and He will come to us as well."
Comments
Post a Comment