The Widows

I look up to the hills, but where will my help really come from? My help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. – Psalm 121:1-2 (ERV)

Seven years ago today, my marital status suddenly changed from “wife” to “widow”. My husband was not ill, so his death was an unexpected shock; I was unprepared.

A few months after, I took the car to the mechanic, something my husband would have done. The mechanic, in his attempt to console, told me of his sister who, after 25 years, was still mourning for her husband. She simply could not, as he put it, “catch herself”. He went on to say that her husband had died when she was 50, then after a brief pause, as though his mind had drifted, he looked directly at me and said, “Don’t be like my sister.”

He did not charge me for his service that day, and his advice was priceless.

Stories of widows can be found in both the Old and New Testaments. One who used her wits to secure her future, another who applied wisdom in dire circumstances, a tenacious one who threatens a judge, some in service that were overlooked, and widows who mourn.

God seems to be particularly concerned, along with the poor, orphans and strangers, about widows, and He was particularly concerned about me. My intention was to wallow in grief, but God arranged for me to have to go to the mechanic that day, to receive His message.

You see, I was not the only person grieving the loss, there were four children who had lost their father; for me to deliberately allow my grief to consume me would have been selfish. It wasn’t that I was not to mourn, to cry and to feel his loss but I was not to let it overtake me to the point where, like the mechanic’s sister, my life had also come to an end.

How fair would that have been to our children and how faithless I would have been in God?

The widows in the Word, defied convention. First century Widows were expected to be weak and unable to survive on their own, but the stories throughout the bible highlight widows who were savvy businesswomen, strong advocates for justice, those who showed wisdom in times of crises, women who saw opportunities and took advantage of them like, Tamar, Naomi and Ruth, to name a few.

Every one of the widows in the bible demonstrates the strength of sufficiency, not in themselves but in God. They shatter the stereotype as they epitomize fortitude and wisdom. They are widows on their knees, determined in faith, dependent upon God who cares profoundly.

Luke tells us of a widow named Anna, who never left the temple but stayed there day and night worshiping and praying and fasting as we read in chapter 2, verses 36 and 37 (NRSVUE),

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day.

The widows in Jesus’ parables make sound decisions, act independently, and fight for their well-being. They weren’t without a voice. The parable of the woman and the unjust judge is a prime example. Her persistence prompts the judge to act (Luke 18:1-8).

Even the widows who were domesticated showed tenacity, like the widow at Zarephath of Sidon who was obedient to God and advocated for her son (1 Kings 17).

Those widows took bold steps, dismantling the usual visual of how the widow was seen, and were instrumental in the advancement of God’s plan.

Beloved, the widows teach lessons of purpose and persistence, faith and courage, trusting God to provide, and their stories assure us that God does not abandon us in times of despair. 

Open your heart to God, ask Him for help and He will supply whatever you need, just as He did for the widows and just as He has done and continues to do for me.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “The Widows” ©2026, January 14, 2026