Day 5: Commended sacrifice
[Jesus] also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:2-4).
Almighty, omnipotent God, Your eyes are on the ways of a man, and You see all his steps (Job 34:21). You are the God who fills heaven and earth and no one can hide in secret places that You cannot see (Jeremiah 23:24).
Father, Your ways are so unlike ours— Your thoughts so far above our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). Great is our Lord and mighty in power; Your understanding has no limits (Psalm 147:5). You fashioned the ear, and You hear everything, You formed the eye and You see everything, You teach mankind and You know everything (Psalm 94:10-11).
Where we see only the exterior and the superficial, You weigh the motives within (Proverbs 16:2). Where we see the dazzle of the outward, You look at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). And no one is overlooked by You—You see the poor, the overlooked, the unnoticed, the powerless, and the disregarded.
Lord Jesus, when no one else saw a poor widow's gift (Luke 21:3-4), You alone noticed—You alone weighed her small gift in the scales of heaven, and marked a large entry in the ledger of divine accounting. And You commended her sacrifice.
O Lord, thank You for this reminder that You do not reckon as the world does—You do not measure with its faulty standards. Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of His making (Proverbs 16:11).
Encourage weary hearts today with the reassurance that You see their tireless gifts of service, resources, and love. You take note of every offering scraped from the last reserves of empty, worn out, drained and depleted.
Our Father and God, You see the struggles of parents, caregivers, family members, friends, ministries, and volunteers who give love, care, and support in the middle of overwhelming challenges. Many have little support, few resources.
To the ones unseen by the world, bring Your strength and comfort. You know their ministrations to the poor, the sick, the young, and the helpless, to the elderly, the discarded the disabled, and the disadvantaged.
And as we pray, Lord, show us opportunities to reach out in love and become the answer to a need, remembering that You accept our smallest gift of love. Teach us to minister to the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, mindful always that You watch over these (Psalm 146:9). Teach us to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
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