"as The Lord They God Liveth". (a Widow's Determination).

My life experiences as a widow and inspiration from the experiences of these great widows in the Bible. They were determined to be focused on God against all odds. When you rest in God's love and ability in faith and trust in Him, He will manifest His greatness in your life story and for His praise.

Luke 2:36-38 -"And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;

And she was a widow of about four score and four years, which departed not from the temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 1 Kings 17:12 - "And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for my son and me, that we may eat it, and die.

Drawing insight from the above talks about the plight of the two widows and what led them to this stage of their lives and at the mercy of God. As for Anna the prophetess, who was a widow perhaps which she never wished to be in her early life, but fate compelled her into it. And "departed not from the temple" could have been her personal decision to be totally emptied of life's cares, worries, and cruelty and be sold away to the Lord and His Kingdom service. Thanks to God for placing her at His ordained temple and location for her.

The harshness of this life must have pushed and driven her to the feet of God and left her all in His hands with fasting and prayer night and day until her hour came to fulfill her ministry. What a beautiful decision to look away from God serving Him! Until life hits a saint hard and brings him to the end of himself, he will not know the worth of resting at the feet of Jesus and living for Him to the fullest. The widow of Zarephath is also a woman who was beaten against and through the wall of abject penury, suffering, and famine that seems endless. And thus, she faced life with boldness and made up her mind to leave this world with her son after eating their last meal. She made a priceless decision that implies that whatever will happen, it's only one life. But God saw her heart beyond her decision and her response to His prophet.

She overcame life-threatening challenges and woes of poverty with her decision to know to whom she belongs. Even if this life thinks it has the power to strip her of all or even her life but does not have the power over her end. And she was divinely visited. (1Kings 17:8-16). And God was honored by her humble faith as well as Anna, the prophetess. Their faith moved God and the host of heaven to reckon with them, and they became an everlasting vessels of faith, confidence, and trust in God and channels of inspiration to all. Likewise, the widow with the two mites cast all the living that she had into the treasury. Her decision that led to her faith action is simply - though having nothing in the eyes of the world but not to her - she had God as Everything and her All. (Luke 21:1-4).

And Ruth, who had a similar predicament, believed in the God of a widow called Naomi. Naomi's strong faith in her God despite her wreck never stopped referring to Him as One still in charge and control of all life situations with her agonizing expressions, and this was a message that stirred up her heart of Ruth. Hence made her cleft to Naomi in faith, and she was eternally compensated for manifesting Hebrews eleven chapter one verse one. (Ruth 1:6-16).

To you, dear saint, whatever life has stripped you of that has now made you frail and vulnerable like a widow cannot determine how you will end. God alone has the power to re-write your story as He did to the widows the world saw as helpless. Don't give up on life. Your Life Book is in God's hand from the beginning. (Ps. 139:13-17). Let Him finish it for you and you will surely be blessed and become an everlasting blessing to your generation and for His honor.

God's Loving Heart.

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