Widow’s Mite

                                                                 

The man in the designer suit and polished leather shoes casually mentioned that he had given $10,000 toward the fundraiser at the church.  “It is such a good cause. I just had to do it,” he said with a tone of humility.

Across the room a woman dressed in a faded dress with scuffed shoes placed her $10.00 check into the offering box. She said nothing.

Which one of these would Jesus praise? Those of us who grew up in church are familiar the story of the widow whose offering was only a mite, the smallest Jewish coin at that time. After Jesus had observed the givers, He said: “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had. (Luke 21:3-4). 

I am well familiar with this Biblical incident. This year, however, is the first time that I noticed the time period when this event took place. The story of the widow took place during the last week of Jesus’ life.  Jesus knew that the crucifixion was only days away.  He was bombarded by questions from the chief priests and scribes who were trying to trap Him. There were many things He wanted to say to His followers this week. Jerusalem was overflowing with Jews who had come to celebrate the Passover; He had lessons to teach them in the synagogue. A lot was going on. The widow quietly gave her offering and no one noticed.  No one, that is, except for Jesus. He did see her, and her generous offering has been documented in the Scriptures for over 2000 years. 

No one is unimportant to Jesus. No act of kindness goes unnoticed by Him. Jesus considered the poor widow to be as important as the wealthy donors. He saw her as important as the Jewish leaders or His disciples or the multitudes who followed Him.  He saw her.  He knew all about her life. He knew how little money she had. He knew what had prompted her to give. He was not too busy to notice her. 

Most of us live quiet lives. We may never be interviewed on tv or written about in the newspapers. But Jesus still sees us. He cares about the happy moments that bring us joy. He cares about our problems. Wars may be raging and horrific tragedies may be occurring in the world. But He never minimizes our less dramatic needs.  He sees us and He cares.

Thank You, Jesus, that You care about ordinary people. Thank You that You see each of us and care about every detail in our lives.

Fullness of Joy

 

                                                                

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)

Fullness of joy! Pleasures forevermore!  Who would not want these things? Early in my Christian life, I discovered Psalm 16:11. This verse states that when we are in God’s presence we will know great joy.  I can testify that I have known the deep joy of walking with the Lord.  In times of rich blessing, I have felt His presence and have agreed with David that in His presence is fullness of joy.

At other times, trials and difficulties entered my life. God did not seem to be near. Joy was not a word to describe my life. During the hard times, I would grit my teeth and push through. I would remind myself that problems do not last forever.  My life became a parentheses. I would wait for the problem to end; then joy would begin again.

Recently, it was brought to my attention that David wrote Psalm 16 when he was fleeing from Saul.  Saul was determined to kill David. He was running for his life and hiding in caves. This “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore” were experienced by David during these hard times. 

It astounded me that David could speak about having fullness of joy when his life was in danger. Is joy really possible during hard times?  I know that during difficulties, God gives us strength and wisdom and comfort.  But does He also give joy?  The concept that difficult seasons of life can also include joy is intriguing.

I looked at other Psalms that David had written during this time. These psalms spoke David’s struggle as well as his joy. Psalm 142 contains verses that include: “my spirit was overwhelmed within me” (vs. 3) , “no one cares for my soul”(vs. 4), “attend to my cry, for I am brought very low” (vs. 6).  Obviously, David felt the pain of his situation and didn’t walk through these difficulties with a plastic smile glued to his face. He felt the pain, and he brought the difficulties to the Lord in prayer. 

God wants us to come to Him in the bad times of life as well as in the good times. The command to “pray constantly” applies to all circumstances. As we spend time in His Presence, He imparts to us a joy that runs deeper than our problems. He gives to us the “fullness of joy” that David speaks of in in Psalm 16.

Lord, sometimes life is hard. Help us to come to you in bad times as well as in good times. Enable us to pour out our hearts to You as David did.  Draw us into Your Presence. As we sit in Your Presence, Lord, may we know the fullness of joy that only You can give.