She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.
1 Timothy 5:5–6, ESV
Though this section Paul is writing is about widows, we can all take a cautionary word from it. At the time of writing this, widows may not have had children or family to care for them and, therefore, were in need of care and protection from the people. Often in the Bible, we hear the calling to care for the orphans and the widows. There is, however, an admonition to those widows who had children and grandchildren who could also care for them as well as for the widows. We are meant to truly care for one another, and each of us should live our lives with a focus on God and our service to Him. Widows are pointed out in this because they would be left without the many responsibilities that are left for those with families to raise and a spouse to care for. In their absence, a widow would be able to place her care and focus on service to God and prayer. The admonition for us all is to ask, where do we place our focus and our prayers? As we live our lives, if we focus solely on the things of this world that benefit only the here and now, there is little life within us. We are called to keep our eyes fixed on our Lord and the work that He is calling us to. This is whether we have a family or not. Whether we are male or female. If we focus simply on the things of this world that will be here today and gone tomorrow, what do we truly have? How pitiable are we? We know those who mourn and wail because of the lack that they have in this world and speak about how much they have lost. It can be hard to speak a word of hope because it seems to be covered up in the waves of sadness that flow over and over in the conversation. As we wade through life, let us lift up all who find themselves lost in the ocean of tears in our prayer that they may find the buoyant hope of Jesus Christ, and may we find His peace.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.