”The Widow’s Might” Pastor Fred Fuller, March 21, 2026

Hello and welcome to church. We're so

glad that you were able to join us here

at the McDonald Road 7th Day Adventist

Church for our worship time. I hope that

your time is blessed. I hope the music

blesses your soul. I hope the message

touches your heart. And if if it does,

we would be honored if you would share

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can be blessed as well. We're so glad

that you can be a part of our online

church here at McDonald Road and hope

that you are blessed in your worship

together with us today. God bless and

enjoy our worship service.

Would you pray with me please?

Dear Lord and Father,

we ask that you will fill our hearts

with your Holy Spirit.

We ask that for a few moments the things

of this earth will grow strangely dim.

We thank you for loving us. We pray as

we gather around your throne that the

angels will join with us.

We praise your name in Jesus name.

Amen.

I told first service that I woke up a uh

a base uh this morning.

My

voice was a lot lower then. I was

teasing them and told them that the

Kings Herald Quartet has been trying to

reach me,

but my voice has gotten a little bit

better. A little bit better. And you

bear with me as as we open God's word

for a few few moments. Her name was

Dela.

She was in one of my first districts.

I would put her somewhere in her mid80s.

This was so many years ago. I was a very

young preacher and I've got to admit

that back then I was thinking she was

ancient. Nowadays, not so much.

But a wonderful lady. Her eyes sparkled.

She had an infectious smile. She would

sit there and be a part of the amen

section and she would greet me

afterwards and encourage me as a young

preacher in those days and meant so

much. But I did not know it.

But Dela had a deep

dark

secret.

About 6 8 months into my ministry there,

I noticed as she sat there, the sparkle

had drained quite a bit from her eyes. I

noticed that she didn't smile quite as

much. And I knew something was going on.

And so one Sabbath after the service, I

paused for a moment with her as she was

going out

and I said, "Is something wrong? if you

don't mind me asking. She said, "Yes,

there is. Can you come by sometime this

week after 9:00

in the morning to my house?" I said,

"Absolutely." We set it up for Tuesday.

So, I went there. It was probably about

9:20. She was sitting on her front porch

and uh

we sat there and talked to pleasantries,

the weather, the church, how things were

going. this, that, and the other.

And then she grew very serious, and I

knew that we were about to hear what was

on her heart.

She says, "You know, my granddaughter

lives with me." And I said, "Yes, I've

met her."

She took a deep sigh as if to unload a

burden. And she says, "My granddaughter

pushes me."

And I had a look on my face where I see

a lot of your faces. I said, "She

what?"

She says, "Sometimes my granddaughter

shoves me."

And she says, "I'm not as stable as I

used to be, and it gets me off balance,

and I would catch myself." off. She

says, "I'm afraid one of these days I'm

going to fall."

Then she said, "I've gotten to the point

to where I can read her face." She

wanted me to come after 9:00 because her

granddaughter leaves for work and would

not be there at that time. She says, "I

have noticed when she comes home, if she

has a troubled look on her face, she

says, I run

to my chair and sit down

for fear that she's going to shove me."

I was totally stunned.

And when I gathered my composure, I said

to her, I said,"I need

to talk to her."

Now, in West Tennessee 40ome years ago,

the law in that part of the country did

not shelter

elder abuse,

did not help those that were in trouble

as much as it would today. Today she

would surely be in trouble,

but back then it wasn't always a sure

thing that if she went to the

authorities

that she could get help. I said, "I need

to talk to her." She was very hesitant.

She didn't want me to. She was fearful

that she would be ugly to me.

And I told her that that wouldn't bother

me a bit.

But I had something important to tell

her.

Well, she wasn't ready for that. But we

did end on the situation that if things

got worse or if she felt like she was

truly in trouble,

she would indeed let me know. Three

weeks later,

she paused after church. She says, "It

may be time." We set up a time that

week. After she had gotten home, I came

by.

I was praying all the way there,

got to the house. The granddaughter was

there. We sat down for a few moments. I

took a deep breath.

Another quick prayer

to the Lord.

And I explained to her,

the granddaughter,

that she was in big

trouble.

Her eyes squinted in anger. She glared

at her grandmother. She looked back at

me and she says, "My grandmother's not

going to do one thing about it.

She would never testify against me. And

I'm not even sure anybody would take her

word for it. I said, "Oh, you don't know

what I'm saying.

There's a much higher authority than the

sheriff's department.

There is a much much higher authority

that you will have to account for and

has taken the responsibility of

protecting

the helpless."

I said, "But let me read it to you."

And I opened my Bible and I said, "Now,

I could read you something in James. I

could read you something in Peter. I

could read you something in the book of

Psalms. I could read you something in

the book of Isaiah, but I am going to

read it to you out of the book of

Exodus."

She sat quietly

and I said, "Here it is."

Exodus 22:22.

Exodus 22:22

You shall not afflict any widow

or fatherless child.

If you afflict them in any way, and they

cry out to me,

I will surely hear their cry, and my

wrath

will be hot." Now, this is God talking.

The pronouns there are all capitals.

If they cry out to me, capital M,

my capital M, wrath will be hot.

I said, 'If this continues,

you're going to be in extremely bad

trouble because you don't understand the

widow's might.

M I

GHT.

He said, "Well, my grandma used to take

me to Sabbath school. Are you talking

about somebody giving money?" I said,

"No,

God has said that he would become the

protector

of the helpless.

He would not leave it to the preacher.

He would not leave it to the local

authorities. He would not leave it

to anyone else, to the church board or

anyone. He would become if they cry out

they have a direct line.

He would take care of those who could

not take care of themselves. Widows are

mentioned many times

as being those that are marginalized in

our society and they were back then as

well.

In those days, there was no life

insurance.

There was no social security, no 401k,

no retirement homes, no public housing,

and not even hospitals.

In that predominantly maledominated

society,

if she had no close male protector

or couldn't or wouldn't remarry,

she had to brave society

as a single person.

And all she had to do, and I don't mean

to minimalize it, but in her distress,

if she cried out to the Lord,

God will hear.

And I said, I know that your grandmother

has prayed for you.

I know that angels

have recorded what goes on in this

house.

And the intimidating and as daunting,

as a widow's task may be,

God will help

the helpless.

A good example of it that I could give

to you, and I'll just mention this

briefly is the story that Jesus told of

the widow that kept coming back to the

unjust judge over and over again. She

asked for help, and he wouldn't listen.

He'd throw out of court, but she kept

coming back and kept coming back and

kept asking for help. And finally the

Holy Spirit talked to his heart and he

says,"I don't care about God,

but I'm sick and tired of this." And she

got the help she needed.

And no one would have ever thought that

would ever happen.

The widows represent those that cannot

help themselves.

Today I want to take a few moments and I

want to look at four biblical examples

of how powerful

the helpless really really are

and how important is that we understand

this concept. Her name was Grace. The

first one we're going to look at. You

can find this story this afternoon in

Luke the 2 chapter.

You see, her daddy looked at her and

said, "You know, she's such a graceful

young lady." In those days, they waited

to name a child until their character

started coming forth.

Anna was her name, but Anna was the

Hebrew name, uh, excuse me, the Greek

name for Hannah

in Hebrew,

which means grace.

And in those days, traditionally, young

women married at 15, 16 or 17 years of

age. And Luke 2 tells us that she had

been married for seven years

and had lost her husband.

Now, that would put her before her 30th

birthday.

But in that helpless society, no one

helped her.

So she cried out to God. She did

whatever she could to make a meager

living.

But God blessed her in such a way he

gave her the gift of prophecy.

You read it there.

And that gift of prophecy was such a

blessing to the people in the early days

of Jesus's life that they allowed her to

live in or near the temple.

I don't know if they gave her a little

broom closet somewhere off to the side.

I don't know if she had her own special

little corner. I don't know exactly

where that was, but it says that day and

night she lived near the temple. People

would come and would ask her. You see

the gift of prophecy meant in those days

teaching as much as it meant telling the

future. People began to depend upon her.

Leaders of the church wouldn't take time

for them. But she

under the uncction of the Holy Spirit

gave good advice and they allowed her to

stay near the temple.

She was a proclaimer that the Messiah

was soon to come.

And God had told her that before she

died,

she would see the fulfillment of that

prophecy.

And so one day, she probably had a

little broom in her hand. She was

probably sweeping around the corners,

straightening the chairs. She was

probably doing something useful. And the

Holy Spirit spoke to her and said, "You

see that family over there?

That's the Messiah.

And she hobbled over and she held the

Messiah God had given her. Not the

patriarchs,

not the prophets of old, not the kings,

not the disciples yet, but gave her the

power to proclaim. Oh yes, there were

some shepherds that heard a glory song.

Yes, there were some who heard the

testimony of some wise men, but of God's

people, she was given the message first

proclaimed that the Messiah was there. A

powerful

mighty

message.

widow. Number two,

in our society,

a mother-in-law is often the brunt of

cruel jokes.

Someone once said that we never would

have known Naomi if it had not been for

Ruth.

But I suggest to you it's the other way

around.

I suggest to you that we would never

have known about Ruth if it hadn't been

for Naomi.

Naomi and her husband picked up their

two boys and they moved to a foreign

country toward the east

because of a terrible famine in the

land. And guess what? Little boys grow

up.

Little boys recognize

the girls.

little boy's marry

and Naomi is there and her children are

nearby. Life seems to be doing quite

well until her husband is stricken and

she becomes a widow.

But if that wasn't bad enough, she had

to watch her daughter-in-laws become

widows as well.

She watched one by one as her boys died.

Here again, being on the fringe of

society, she decided at one point that

it was time for her to go back home. She

was a foreigner.

She called her widowed daughter-in-laws

to her and they said to her and she said

to them, "It's time for me to go home."

Now, your best chance of remarage

is to stay right here with your people.

I encourage you to go back to your

people."

She packed her things together. The two

girls were respectful enough to follow

her to the border.

And as she had her paperwork there at

the border,

Orpa said to her, "I love you." kissed

her and left with tears in her eyes. But

Ruth's attitude was different. You see,

Naomi's might and power was in her life

testimony.

Ruth did not want to leave her

mother-in-law.

She turned as Naomi tried to tell her,

"It's better for you to stay." She says,

"Do not urge me to leave you.

Where you go, I will go." Now, hear the

widow's might here, folk.

This daughter-in-law saw the power of

God in her mother's life. She figured

out how to be a Christian widow by

watching her mother-in-law in Christian

widowhood.

She said, 'Do not intreat me to leave

you. Where you go, I will go. Your

people will be my people, and your God

will be my God."

Ruth come to her. She crossed the

border. She forsake forsook her own land

and she went with her widowed

mother-in-law. She became her protector

and her provider.

And because of the power of this

wonderful widow, Ruth became a part of

the lineage of David, which became the

part of the lineage of Jesus.

A tremendous ter testimony to the might,

the widow's might.

Think about it.

God saw

within the character of these women such

a wonderful testimony. He wanted them to

be a part of the influence of the family

of his son.

A mighty and powerful thing.

A wonderful thing.

widow number three

found in 2 Kings the 4th chapter. We

don't even know her name, but she pulls

her two little sons to her as they're

crying from the loss of their father and

she says, "I don't know how we're going

to make it, but we will." And a knock

comes to the door. rough people come in

and say, "I know you've just lost your

husband, but business is a business, and

your husband owes money,

and if we don't have the money in two

days, we're coming, and we're going to

take your sons, and they're going to

work for us until the money's paid

back."

The door closes.

I'm sure she had read Exodus 22.

Her husband, by the way, was a student

or had been a student at the schools of

the prophets.

Her husband, by the way, had heard many

of the mighty stories of Elijah and

Elisha.

So, she sent word to Elisha. Elisha

came,

stood at her door, and she says, "I

don't know what to do. They're going to

take my boys."

And Elisha in his heart says, "You don't

know the power

that a widow has."

And he makes an interesting statement

that I think is very important for all

of us to understand. He says, "What do

you have in the house?

Anything in savings?" "No."

"Any equity anywhere?" "No."

"What do you have?"

I have a series of sermons in call

called called the questions of God

and that's a very very important

question. Moses stood in front of the

burning bush and he says I can't talk

anymore. God says who made the tongue

who mixed the languages up?

You go and you do what God asks you to

do with what you have. Well, what about

Pharaoh? Well, what's in your hand, a

stick, throw it down, use what you have.

And Elisha says, "Well, what do you

have?" And she says, "Well, I've got a

cup of oil here." He says, "It's enough

with the widow's might."

He says, "Send the boys out to get some

pots and pans and clay jars, anything

you have." And she gathered everything.

They came in, they closed the door, and

they began to pour. Oh, I would have

loved to seen those boys eyes.

You know,

kind of like the people standing around

as Jesus multiplied the loaves and

fishes.

You see, brothers and sisters, God's

looking for people who recognize where

power really comes from.

What is your problem?

What is your need?

What is it you lack?

Well, how can we possibly

talk about the widow's might without

looking

to the widow's might?

The last widow we're going to look at

real quick

was a widow who gave everything she had.

I can just hear the trumpets blasting.

Jesus is sitting there. The disciples

are standing around, trumpets blast, and

they call out, "Rabbi Goldsmith gives."

And the wheelbarls come forward and the

gold

falls to the floor.

Shouts and praises and amen.

But Jesus is not looking at that. He

sees a little figure

moving quietly from post to post,

hiding behind the floral bushes,

moving her way forward, waiting for the

most auspicious moment to be

unrecognized.

And then she walks casually by hoping

that everybody's attention is back that

way and throws something into the

offering plate and scoots away. And I

want to be respectful as I say this, but

I can see Jesus saying,

"Guys, did you see that? Did you see

it?"

No. What? What are you talking about?

Did you see the offering? Oh, yeah. We

couldn't help it. The trumpets in he No.

No. See the little lady going out the

door? Yes. She has given

more than anyone

else.

And I said, "That's not possible." Let

me read you what Ellen White wrote about

this. She said, "The influence of that

little gift

has been like a stream.

In a thousand ways, it has contributed

to the relief of the poor

and spread the gospel.

Her example of selfless sacrifice has

acted and reacted

upon thousands of hearts in every land

and in every age. And folk, here we are

2,000 years later and we're still

talking about it.

Tell me that the widow doesn't have

might.

By the way, I like this thing about the

streams and my son called me up last

week and he wants me to go on a hike

with him up to the boundary waters of

the Mississippi. That's where

Mississippi is so little that you can

step across it.

But as it flows

more and more is

is contributed more and more and more

and more and becomes a mighty river.

You see, brothers and sisters, I'm not

convinced

that it's the preachers,

the church administrators,

the teachers that are going to have

all the stars

in the crowns of heaven.

God is looking and needs

the little people.

God is looking for people who recognize

that they need him.

They don't need to be highly educated.

As important as education is and as

useful as it is,

they don't need to be a strong

physically strong person as important

and wonderful as it is. They don't need

to be wealthy people.

They don't need to be someone who fits

all of the qualifications

of what we would think would be most

helpful

to the work of God.

He just needs people

who need him.

Four years

later, I went back to Dela's funeral,

I was in a district close by, and I

heard that she had passed away.

And as I walked into the funeral home

place where I had conducted a lot of

funerals when I was pastor there,

I looked into the face almost the first

face I saw

of a beautiful

brideeyed

smiling

young Christian lady

and I recognized it

as her granddaughter.

A completely

total reversal

and change of the last person I had seen

before.

Now, I'm embarrassed at what I'm about

to tell you right now,

but I'm going to tell you the whole

story.

For a fleeting second, in a moment of

weakness,

I wanted to ask her,

"What was it that I said that made the

difference?"

Folk, it wasn't me.

It was a widow's might.

It was the prayer of a grandma.

It was an influence

as I talked with her

that kept loving

the most unloly

that kept praying.

Folk, don't ever stop praying for your

children and your grandchildren. Don't

ever stop.

Don't ever stop praying for your

neighbor. Don't ever stop

because God

is needing and looking for your

influence.

>> Yes.

Don't ever, ever, ever underestimate

the power of a widow's might.

I'm going to invite our uh

music directors, our our praise singers,

come up and lead us in our closing

prayers.

Father in heaven, as we recognize the

times in which we're living,

we recognize how much we need you.

We pray that you will bless us and

remind us on Tuesday, on Monday, on all

through the week of our need for you.

Spring our thoughts forward to heaven as

we awake

and help us to walk with you. help us to

recognize our need

in Jesus priceless name I pray.

Amen.

Thanks so much for joining us here at

the McDonald Road 7th Adventist Church

for worship. Each month we reach between

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McDonald Road 7th Adventist Church. God

bless each one of you and thanks again

for joining us here at the McDonald Road

7th Adventist Church.