God Has Come To Help His People

Luke 7: 11-17

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."

Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea[a] and the surrounding country.

I've been struggling since last week Tuesday with the devastation in Haiti. My heart goes out to all the people of Haiti but especially the children and the elderly. I keep wondering what I might do to help and then I am overwhelmed by the amount of help that is needed.

I remember Nehemiah and how when he heard of the destruction in Jerusalem he wept and mourned over it. I feel like Nehemiah, weeping and mourning over a city whose problems seem enormous. God eventually gave Nehemiah a vision of what could be done, and I trust that in due time God will show me what I can do, as well .

In the meantime, I still struggle with making sense of this devastation. Not knowing what to do but knowing God's Word would eventually lead me, I sat down to do my daily bible study. As God would have it, my study led me to Luke chapter 7 verses 11-17 seen noted above. God is so good! He gives peace when it is needed. He gave my troubled soul peace through these words and this reminder.

The scene in these verses could very well be a similar depiction of a scene happening in Haiti right now. A widow - I am sure there are many widows in a grossly poor country - who's only son has now also died. A funeral possession. Weeping. Mourning. Wondering what more could be taken from me? Loss beyond measure. Trouble understanding the cruel world we live in that takes and takes. I'm sure this scene is playing out in Haiti in a million different ways.

Verse 13 says that when the Lord saw her his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Many of us, probably all of us, would feel and want to respond the same way Jesus did here. However, Jesus is the ONLY one with the power to actually do anything about it. He has authority over EVERYTHING, even death! He has the power to give life to the dead!

It is the great compassion of God, and of his Son, that orchestrated the ultimate sacrifice for the human condition - Jesus on the cross - dead, buried, risen again - our sacrifice for sin!

The raising of this man's life in the text shows that he has the power to conquer even death and gives testimony to the power he has to raise all believers to life - eternal life.

God has come to help his people! We cannot escape the first death, we all will face this somehow. However, all believers in Jesus Christ who believe in his power and in his ability to save, will escape the second death and live forever in heaven with Jesus. This is our hope as Christ followers.

God knew sin would bring death and destruction to our fallen world. Unimaginable things will happen here because of Satan's deception and evil grip on this world. But we need not despair because there is one more powerful. One who has the ability to raise the dead and reunite them with their loved ones in heaven someday. He has compassion for his people and he came to help!

This is the hope we have to offer others. We can reassure believers that God cares deeply and has already done what was necessary to save and we can lead non-believers to the power of the cross.

So, the real focus isn't about what can I do to help. Rather, it's about what God has already done through his son Jesus that will make the real difference in a hurting and dying world. This is the hope for Haiti and the rest of the world.