Mark 12:41-43 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

I heard this Sunday during the sermon and the pastor did not even come close to preaching on these scripture. This goes back to something I said last week about hearing a word and how the Spirit can make it real, relevant and timely.

I’ve heard this passage taught many times. Most of the time it is about giving tithes. Callous wealth does value the tithe, it has abundance and does not feel the loss. Poverty breeds desperation. She gave her life. She withheld nothing. I am sure there are more ways to look into this message and see something, some glimpse into the lives of these people and us.

But Sunday I was struck by one word that put me in mind of this poor widow and I had not heard it taught. Neither do I lay claim to truth. It is just a word and a word revealed is important unto itself. That word was devotion.

One of the definitions which is not tied directly to religious activities is the state of being ardently dedicated and loyal. The one thing missing in this woman’s testimony could not be seen in the telling per Mark 12 was her history. Jesus could look into her heart and know all that she was in life. We judge moments. We see a things in slices as if that moment tells the whole story.

Could it be that this woman changed not in her devotion to God even if her condition changed? She probably had better times. She had lived long enough to be called a widow. Could it be that Jesus looked deep into her life and saw a woman who was devote all her life and did not allow her circumstances to change her devotion?

Can I say the same?

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Perhaps Israel did not understand this prophetic message because it was sandwiched between words of victory and exaltation. It would seem difficult to receive a word that you are lost after a victory. The furthest thing from their minds would be that they were lost in the wilderness. The passage doesn’t explicitly say that, it says prepare ye the way of the Lord. The way was not yet understood.

In Matthew 3 John the Baptist preached repentance of sin and baptized all who confessed. He even declared that he was that voice in the wilderness spoken of in Isaiah 40:3. The way of the Lord is prepared by repentance and confession. Now it understood. But by whom is it understood?

Why was the cry made in the wilderness? Wilderness is seen as a place with no protection, being at risk, or a place to find the lost. For those who initially found John, they did not see themselves as lost. They were on a journey. Some were merchants. Their mission was monetary, their focus was on gain. Perhaps some within the caravan where travelers seeking protection of the merchants. Neither of these would consider themselves lost. Even if they heard John crying out, they might not recognize the message was meant for them.

When does the message of repentance and confession reach the lost? Only when they recognize their own personal wilderness experience. Those circumstances are beyond the call and control of the messenger. We may see a person and recognize they are in peril but we cannot give them that wilderness experience.

So, how do you know for sure that you are not lost? Neither your goals nor your security can define that position. You have to see it for yourself.