Bitten by the Snake; Ministry through Misery
"God
whispers to us in our joy and shouts to us in our pain"
C.S Lewis
I had the
most wonderful revelation this morning about what it is supposed to be like
to walk out my Christian faith. I was
listening to a sermon and throughout this wonderful explanation of how God uses
our pain, I was struck with an amazing and intense clarity I’ve not experienced
before. It was from the Church of
Eleven22 and Pastor Joby Martin in Jacksonville, FL. Check it out online if you want to hear some inspiring
and powerful sermons. The message was
not only awesome, but unbelievably pertinent in light of what is going on in my
life right now. The fact that God always
has a plan; and that He will use today’s misery as an opportunity for tomorrow’s
ministry is a breath of fresh air in my lungs today; I hope you feel the same
as you unpack my writing today. The
clear and stark message I heard today is that it is through our struggles that
we become strong Christians; not through our blessings. Our blessings will come; they are promised by
God. However, the timing is unknown and they
could very well be given to us in the life that follows this one. Therefore, it’s in the pain and in our
weakness that we become strong and our faith increases. I thought to myself; now this is something I
should write about; so here’s my understanding, interpretation, and explanation
why going through pain is not only useful; but necessary.
In his
sermon, Pastor Joby utilized the scripture in Acts 28 as the backdrop of how the
sovereignty of God is always at play in our lives. In this particular instance,
the Apostle Paul (my favorite Biblical
character….aside from Christ of courseJ) has landed on the island of Malta
after he was shipwrecked going across the Adriatic Sea. The people on the island greeting them with warmth
and built them a fire, and were unexpectedly kind. This was a welcome change as
up to that point; Paul was experiencing some extreme levels of pain and suffering;
even before the shipwreck. But just when
things were about to get better; Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake. I’m sure he said to himself; “really God; haven’t
I gone through enough today?” The island people immediately changed their mind
about Paul and assumed that he was being punished for doing something bad;
murder was their assumption. This was so
interesting to me because, if we are honest, we quite often react in an identical
manner when something bad happens to someone.
We tend to judge others; thinking that “Karma” has come up to bite them and that are quite deserving of what
they receive. When most of the time, we don’t
even know what the other person has gone through or even if they have done anything
wrong. Sound familiar? Well, eventually Paul was able to shake off
the snake and it fell into the fire. The
island people sat there and waited for Paul to swell up and die right there on
the spot; and when he did not; they were shocked and amazed and said that he
must be a god. After this, Paul went
through the island healing the sick; and in turn, the people of Malta proceeded
to help them get all the supplies they needed to set sail again. This was of
course all part of God’s plan for Paul’s ministry. Paul’s entire life was a series of misery to
ministry opportunities; and this was just another example.
There is
such a beautiful and powerful message here; one that has hit me very hard
today. Like a bolt of lightning; and I
feel a sense of peace coming over me that I haven’t had in a long time. Reading the Bible to me is so awesome; I know
I need to spend more time in this amazing story and Word of God. All of the great characters in the Bible experience
pain and suffering through their faith; it’s just part of the deal and it’s
meant to be. Even if the pain is self-inflicted
(something I have first-hand experience
with); Christ will still use it to strengthen us if we just keep walking in
His light. When I sift through all of
these great men in the Bible and go through their stories of pain, self-doubt,
suffering, and failures; I get such a strong sense of how things are supposed
to be. I also realize that my situation
truly pales in comparison to what many of them had gone through and had done. Here’s just a few examples:
·
Moses
had a stuttering problem, was not very confident, and felt unworthy to be a
leader
·
Joseph
was sold as a slave by his own brothers
·
David
was an adulterer and murderer
·
John
the Baptist was beheaded
·
Peter
denied Christ three times before his death
·
Paul
was a murderer
And the
ultimate pain and sacrifice; Christ on the Cross. What a great reminder to me this
morning. No matter what I go through (we go through); remembering what Christ did
for us on that day can put everything in perspective. Nothing in the history of the world comes
close that this one act. There is no greater
message of turning misery into ministry than Christ dying for you and me on
that day. The ultimate sacrifice; and
from that one act; everything else is made perfect. We are saved by grace because of that one
act. We have an infinite number of “second” chances because of that one
act. We have an opportunity to have life
eternal because of that one act. The
peace I feel today is a direct result of that one act. It gives me purpose when I feel less than, it
gives me hope when I feel hopeless, and gives me light when I’m in the
darkness.
The great
C.S Lewis said it best in his quote above; Christ SHOUTS to us in our
pain. He knows we are in pain, He knows
when we are down and struggling; and He is willing to let us go through temporary
difficulties in order to prepare us for the ultimate prize; life eternal in
Heaven. The trick here is to keep this
planted in our brains during our difficulties.
This is not a skill I currently possess.
Like many of you out there, I am prone to depression, feelings of loneliness,
feelings of guilt, and feelings of unworthiness. But what we must realize (myself included) is that it’s not about
our feelings; it’s about our faith.
It’s about believing
that Christ will pull us out when the timing is right. It’s a process; but one that I feel I’m
learning slowly….but surely. I feel strengthened
by this premise today and I hope that you do as well. The reason why I am called to this keyboard, right now, is that deep in my heart; this is what I believe God wants me to do. To share my misery and perhaps turn it into ministry. Perhaps for the one person out there that will read this and have the identical “ah-ha” moment that I had this morning. That my pain and suffering is there because it’s supposed to be; and that my reaction to it in the future should have a hedge of protection around it believing that my God knows exactly what I’m going through and that He will ALWAYS pull me though. Inspired by this message today; I wrote this poem….I hope you enjoy!!
Peace and
Love, Tony
Ministry through Misery
They say
that the stone only gets polished through friction
That the pain
we go through shouldn’t surprise us; it’s a prediction;
But dealing
with pain and suffering is a tall order, we are often in denial;
Something
else will hit us, where is the providence, when will it be my turn?
When do I
get to taste the fruit, I see others happy, I even get down on my knees;
A prayer
that gets old after a while, I lose hope, get caught back in the weeds and in the
fray;
That through
my struggles I will gain strength, grow my faith; and finally be the man
For God’s
grander purpose; yes…that’s it, I see the light….no longer will I refuse;
He SHOUTS to
me out loud, I just wasn’t listening, too caught up being selfish and vain;
A peace that
surpasses all understanding falls upon me; could this actually be my calling?
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