Worship
“I’m Desperate for You” by Red Rocks Worship
Scripture
“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.
And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”” -Mark 12:41-44 (ESV)
The Cost of Following Christ
Picture with me a delicate woman in her late 30s. With her head wrapped, she walked into the temple in her tattered dress, perhaps barefoot, with the dirt under her nails from yesterday’s work. Too young to have her children financially care for her, she was most likely on her own and alone this day. I wonder where her father and brothers were who would naturally care for her as a widow. Perhaps she didn’t own property by which to support herself, so her very meager income had to sustain her. Alone and without a husband, she went weekly to the temple, awaiting her Messiah who promised to save her. And sitting nearby, He was there, enraptured by her very person. Her Jesus, watched her every move as she caught His eye. The temple was bustling with all sorts of people from all demographics, but this one woman made Jesus take note.
Her very life became a testimony, as Jesus directed the disciples’ eyes to this one woman. He taught them that following Him would cost them everything. But the sacrifice of worship, when we give all we have, is the defining moment of a life truly laid down, as is the testimony of this precious widow.
When you only have two copper pennies, where do you take them?
When you have nothing left, what do you give?
And her response is to give everything.
Finding Hope in Complete Surrender
How does a widow who has lost everything give everything? What motivates her toward such deep surrender?
“For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” -Isaiah 54:5 (ESV)
This widow knew the depth of abandonment to the One she ultimately longed for. Something convinced her that the safest thing was to give everything when she had nothing. Perhaps she remembered the story of Elisha and the widow in 2 Kings—how the Lord faithfully provided all she needed. In this place of complete dependence, she gave all of her wealth (not just half of it) combined with all of her faith and presented her offering before the Lord. And a testimony of remembrance is written in the scrolls of Heaven.
Biblical Examples of Complete Surrender
There are a few others who were willing to give everything.
“But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” -2 Samuel 24:24 (ESV)
“When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.” -Genesis 22:9 (ESV)
“And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.” -Mark 14:3 (ESV)
“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” -Romans 8:32 (ESV)
“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” -Psalm 51:16-17 (ESV)
Questions for Personal Reflection
Our hearts have to ask these questions, prompted by the faith of the poor widow:
- If I lost everything in this earthly realm that held me together, culturally, economically, and relationally, would I then give Him everything?
- What compels us to the threshold of such outrageous trust and abandonment?
- When we have less, do we become more generous toward God because we realize our sustenance comes only from Him?
- How do you and I get to a place of such reckless faith that we withhold nothing and waste everything on Him?
The answers to these questions will only be supernatural because they defy the logic of human reasoning. This is the work of Christ in you, the hope of glory!
The Gospel’s Call to Complete Trust
The gospel message compels us to the point of salvation where we trust Jesus with our very eternity. We declare to Him that we indeed cannot live without Him. We sing to Him that He’s the very breath in our lungs and know our existence is determined by Him. We trust Him with our future, and we hold onto Him in our suffering. We praise Him on the mountain tops of life. But what do we do with the treasures we hold in our hands? What do we determine is ours and what is God’s?
“Abandonment is a matter of the greatest importance if you are to make progress in knowing your Lord. Abandonment is, in fact, the key to the inner court—the key to the fathomless depths. Abandonment is the key to the inward spiritual life.” -Jeanne Guyon, “Experiencing the Depths of Jesus”
A Personal Challenge
What is your “everything” that you hold in your hands today? If we are indeed “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked (Revelations 3:17)” and Jesus owns it all anyway, what is He asking you to place in the offering before Him? Is it your widowhood, your sobriety, your barrenness, your wealth, your poverty, your broken marriage, your prodigal son, your joblessness, or successes?
The widow is just a picture of us in all her need and dependency if we will get to the place of such abandonment and trust. How it captures the heart of Jesus! Again, it begs the question: How do you and I get to a place of such reckless faith that we withhold nothing and waste everything on Him?
Living with Eternal Perspective
In America, we have chased the American dream and secured for ourselves barns and barns full of treasures. We have golf tee times and lavish vacations that we love. There’s nothing wrong with those. But do we secure our hearts in our earthly treasures and fail to live in the utter desperation of longing for Jesus alone? Is He truly enough and worth the cost of giving our everything? I know that He is, and He is committed to getting us to a place where we believe it as well. If He’s the God of abundance, we can trust Him that when we bring Him our everything and withhold nothing, He will bring the increase. He will indeed bring the provision out of His character, His grace, and His lavish love. But the very thing that shifts is our pursuit of earthly treasures for heavenly ones. Therefore, stake your flag in the ground and declare, “For me to truly live is Christ.”
And then, may this prophetic word be said of us in this day:
“I am about to display a great wave of My authority and My great power and I am looking for a people whose hearts are completely Mine. I am looking for those who are completely consecrated unto Me, for they shall partner with Me to display great moves of My power and presence in this era. They shall be humble, not looking for their own glory and renown but Mine alone. They are My consecrated ones. They shall perform My exploits so that the world may know that I AM. All My children are invited to walk with Me in this way. Many are called, but only those who consecrate themselves will be chosen for what I am about to do in the earth.” -Patricia King, “A Prophetic Manifesto for the New Era”
He is worth our everything.
