Never Alone
Never Alone
This is my comfort in my affliction: Your promise has given me life. (Ps. 119:50)
Debra had spent the last year almost in a fog while grieving, taking care of paperwork, and making tough decisions. Her husband’s death had changed her world and her future. She knew God had promised to be a husband to her (Isa. 54:5), but sometimes He had seemed far away too. When the phone rang with a lunch invitation from someone who had “been there,” Debra gladly accepted.
At the restaurant Jan hugged Debra, saying, “I remember how I missed hugs after my Don died. Now tell me how you’re really doing.”
Debra confessed to Jan: “Sometimes I’m mad at God. I don’t even want to get out of bed on gloomy days. And I can’t imagine life ever being good again.”
Jan nodded. “I understand and I remember those dark days. But you’ll begin to have better days. Your life is not over. God will lead you forward, and one day He will use you to encourage someone else.”
Debra looked at Jan’s peaceful, joyful expression. Somehow, she knew, she would build a new life and that she had made a new friend.
The Bible is filled with stories about God’s care for widows. There is Elijah and the widow in Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9–16), Elisha and the widow in debt (2 Kings 4:1–7), and Jesus raising a widow’s son to life (Luke 7:11–17). How hopeful to know that He is compassionate and kind—a husband to those facing life after the loss of a partner. We also see widows with powerful ministries. As painful as it is, the loss of a mate does not mean a life without purpose.