When things are going good we forget that we are being abundantly blessed. We tend to believe that we a responsible for our prosperity and we build idols to replace God.
We break the first commandment and we build idols out of our bank accounts and cars and trucks. We give into the world, the flesh and the devil. We begin to act like King Saul or even King David in the book of Chronicles.
It is only when we are brought low through suffering that we are reminded that God is the source of our salvation. It is only when we are brought low that we remember our baptism where we our sinful selves were drowned in the water and we are reborn into Christ’s resurrection. We are renewed not by our actions but for Christ’s sake.
Jesus sacrificed all for us so that we are able to come before the Father through His dear Son and receive the abundant gifts of grace, mercy, peace and love to share with our brothers and sisters.
Pastor, you mentioned Praying and how easy it comes in times of sickness and injury. I think that is so important, but how do you hear God during these times if you are not in His Word. I know that His Word hidden in your heart certainly plays apart, but, my observation of those that are angry with God for not answering their prayers often have also abandoned His Word. As you have said the question is not why but Who. I am not sure, myself, how to direct those suffering terribly, in this way back to His Word.
Where does grief fit into suffering? We have a neighbor that just lost her husband to a battle with pancreatic cancer. They just moved in and we barely know her and I have been wracking my brains on what we could say to provide a cup of water. I have had Stephen Ministry training but like I said, we barely know her. She has shared her grief on Facebook and she is in the early stages.
I hope you don't mind me leaving a comment, but I'm in that exact position that your neighbour is in. I lost my husband 6 months ago after a brutal 2 year battle with pancreatic cancer. And I had to move as we were living in a parsonage. We don't have children.
Can I suggest that you visit her because she's a new neighbour, and have that as the reason to visit and to chat, and just let the conversation go from there? Or is that something that has happened already?
The early stages are devastating and also surreal, I'm sure she'd appreciate just knowing that she has neighbours who care so she doesn't feel completely alone and bewildered in her shell shock and fear.
My husband and I were blessed with hundreds of people praying for us, and we felt it...every step of the way, beautiful people appeared to help us and give us hope and strength when we needed it, even in the smallest way. And that continues for me now he's gone. It's the difference from being completely suffocated and exhausted by grief every day, and having God's promises shine a little light into your darkness, lived out through these people.
Thank you for sharing that. It has to be horrible, and I cannot imagine. A virtual Christian hug to you sister. We took some banana bread at Christmas time but the wife wasnt home and he was so weak he was in no frame of mind to talk to us. She friended me on Facebook and I can feel the pain in what she has written. One of our other neighbors has had some limited contact and says she is very private.. I will also pray for you and your family.
My husband Darrin, was very private. But I told him that this was a chance for us to practice what we preach, so I made sure we had all of the churches in his care, in the loop for our prayer needs. They needed to see us vulnerable and the response was amazing. They were so grateful we let them in, and that they consequently knew the different ways they could help. That feeling of helplessness is so heart breaking. I had so many people tell me how profound it was, to see everyone bond over this, that being part of the Body of Christ had never felt so real to them. And all the love Darrin had given out as a pastor came back to him a hundredfold. It was overwhelming.
Having said that, your neighbour might just be so traumatised, so tired and in a cloud of grief, that she's being private as a matter of survival. That may change over time? But maybe you could pray that God would help her let people in?
Your insight is truly appreciated. You answered my question to Pastor. Darrin sounds like someone I would have loved to call Brother. Thank you, Vanessa.
I thought about sending her a sympathy card even if we are just next door. In talking to another neighbor who has had a little contact told me she is very to herself. She has family close by so I know there is family. Just feeling the Spirit gnaw on me.
I have leaned heavily on Romans 5:1-5 in times of trial. I suffer from Post Concussion Syndrome. I suffer debilitating migraines triggered by light, sound, & smell hypersensitivity. Awhile back both my regular doctor & my neurologist both told me that these problems are permanent since it had been 6 years since the last concussion happened and all these triggers started happening and never went away. A week & half ago I suffered a fall at my in-laws farm. Yup, another concussion. All my overstimulated sensitivity issues are now even more hypersensitive, hopefully only temporarily. How will this affect my life, my job, my going to church, etc I do not know. But, I do know this, God will be with me as his guides me through this.
Gods blessings to you Pastor and all who read this. Amen
Thank you for this message. I am a retired pastor of the LCMS whose wife of 55 years died 6 years ago. I responded by digging into all the grief material that I could fine. Through the process I have come to the conclusion that grief is a process that strengthens our trust in the Lord. It forces us to examine our reliance upon earthly ties, and to strengthen our reliance upon the Lord's promises of His ever present care and the assurance of heaven as our eternal home. I now see grief ministry as an opportunity to affirm and strengthen our relationship with our Lord. I personally see Job as an excellent Biblical example of the process God uses to bring us to a complete reliance upon Him. God provides no answers for Job's lost and physical suffering, but brings Job to a complete dependance and trust that accepts God's plan no matter what takes place. That is what discipleship is all about. To God be the glory!
I think what you've said makes sense. My main experience with suffering is having Rheumatoid Arthritis almost my whole life. I used crutches and a wheelchair for most of my childhood, have had several joint replacements, and the daily struggles of unpredictable pain and inflammation that varies day to day. I think that, aside from a wonderful faithful family, my RA has been the most significant thing God has used to bring me closer to Him. I love this topic and talking and writing about it. I usual give it the title "blessed through pain." In my experience, it has taught me to rely on God. I've found that when I can't do much else, I can still pray and read Scripture. He became my refuge. I figure I'm weak physically so it's not a huge jump to think I could be weak spiritually, too, and need a Savior. So I think it's helped me be open to that. Romans 5 is interesting to me because I used to dislike it because I read it as law - if you're suffering, then you better be patient and have good character and be hopeful. In the last few years, it dawned on me that it's not law but rather gospel. It's not a to do list; it's a gift. And now I can see how God has used my suffering to give me patience (I have to move slow sometimes, my plans don't always happen, I have to be flexible) and character (it has redirected me to value what is most important) and hope (it has turned me to Christ and in Him is overflowing hope). And though the pain and disability are hard, God has used it for tremendous good and so that makes it worth it and overall I can say I’ve been blessed through pain.
I wonder if this also connects to Psalm 4:1 "Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!" The Lord can use suffering to show how He provides in our daily lives. . . and then when we go through the next trial in our lives we remember His faithfulness from before, hold Him to His promises, and move forward in hope. Not that He necessarily answers how we'd want Him to! But that He grounds us in the hope that He provides our daily bread in tangible ways.
My “American evangelical” family can only Hope when they pray and then receive their “miracle”. This is their confirmation of God’s love.
However, when I suffer, everything I can say is “Lord have mercy” and trust that Jesus Christ is with me and for me no matter the outcome. So, I guess my hope is right now and always.
I will listen to that. Live in Minnesota now. It has changed and not for the better but our grandkids live nearby. Getting up in the years and we want to stay close to the kids. We desire to be an influence with them as they grow as long as the Lord allows.. We found a nice church plant Lutheran church within a mile of our new home and are becoming quite involved. Great pastor.
I’ve been thinking about hope a lot recently. An old friend contacted me recently to catch up. We were friends from a young age, way before I became a Christian. My friend has been grieving for the past 3 years after finding his younger brother in his home where he’d committed suicide. He was only in his early 30’s with 3 young children and a fiancée. My friend’s brother had gotten himself into trouble with his fiancée after a weekend away with some of his friends. He felt a lot of guilt and shame for some of the things he’d got up to while away on the trip and it seems he got to the point where he could see no way out of the guilt and shame.
It got me thinking a lot about if he’d only known about the forgiveness of sins in Christ he could possibly still be here today for his family. My friend’s brother had lost all hope of reconciliation with his fiancée and children.
Satan’s desire is to tempt us into sins which will create in us such a state of shame, hopelessness and despair.
We should give thanks always to God that He has baptised us into the One who is our Blessed Hope - our Lord Jesus Christ.
I lost my father a few months ago after 14 years of great suffering as he lay bedridden due to severe brain damage which he suffered after a cardiac arrest in 2008.
Through that period of tribulation the Lord has taught so much and transformed my family and me. We are grateful for every blessing He bestows upon on us in this life but we are acutely aware that the things of this world are fragile and transient. Our hope is in the resurrection and the everlasting, unshakeable kingdom of our God. This is the hope that does not put us to shame.
I believe my old friend has reached out to me at this time because he has recognised that we have this hope and joy even in the midst of sorrow. Please remember Thomas McCormick in prayer and ask that the Lord would draw him into His hope and salvation. God bless.
I have often reflected that we cause much of our own suffering. Not all, certainly. but when we act on our sinful desires, expecting that they will bring us happiness, we often find that they bring us only suffering instead.
No matter the cause, I think that when we finally realize we can't fix things ourselves, we realize that we have to give up trying and give ourselves over to God. (Star Wars version: "Help us, Obi Wan, you're our only hope!)
Love your stuff! Baptist for over 30 years… now loving being Lutheran… your teachings have helped me gain so much understanding! And your humor and down to earth manner keeps me listening and learning more. God is using you! Thanks for your ministry. God be praised!
I have recently been diagnosed with cancer and my head nodded when you said that suffering disconnects us from this world and makes us connect with the promises of God. We know in our minds that we are mortal and that this world is not all there is but until we come face to face with our mortality somehow we can put that fact in the background. Suffering puts it in the foreground and we have to examine what we really know about God's promises about life after death. As we accept that we may not see our grandchildren grow up, that we will leave our husband and children behind, we begin to look forward to seeing Jesus and family and friends who have already joined Him. That mental shift gives a joy to life now that had not previously been experienced. That mental shift lets us truly have thanksgiving in the midst of "todays" and our witness to His goodness becomes more focused.
I think Hebrews 6 provide a useful line of thinking, culminating in "we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
So many in the Lutheran Church would say God won't give you more than you can handle, that is a misquote of script. I would say, it's all more than we can handle, from the beginning to the end of script it's about how God gave things to his people and they messed it up one way or another. It was and is more than we can handle, thus we need God so much that He had to come and die for us. Also, it was like a get out of service free card, because the way it's worded it turns the person to God (to blame) and then inward to handle (all by yourself). This turned you away from the church and back to yourself. Very, very isolating. All law no gospel , no walking along side. I wonder if I should have said this same thing to a person who's dieing from cancer? Sounds harsh, and it was harsh. I had another person tell me (in church) that they were almost jealous of me as God must love me so much to discipline me so much. When she got cancer, I would not have said that to her. Again, harsh. Our special family member is now asleep in Jesus, but one of the things suffering taught me is what not to say.
When things are going good we forget that we are being abundantly blessed. We tend to believe that we a responsible for our prosperity and we build idols to replace God.
We break the first commandment and we build idols out of our bank accounts and cars and trucks. We give into the world, the flesh and the devil. We begin to act like King Saul or even King David in the book of Chronicles.
It is only when we are brought low through suffering that we are reminded that God is the source of our salvation. It is only when we are brought low that we remember our baptism where we our sinful selves were drowned in the water and we are reborn into Christ’s resurrection. We are renewed not by our actions but for Christ’s sake.
Jesus sacrificed all for us so that we are able to come before the Father through His dear Son and receive the abundant gifts of grace, mercy, peace and love to share with our brothers and sisters.
Pastor, you mentioned Praying and how easy it comes in times of sickness and injury. I think that is so important, but how do you hear God during these times if you are not in His Word. I know that His Word hidden in your heart certainly plays apart, but, my observation of those that are angry with God for not answering their prayers often have also abandoned His Word. As you have said the question is not why but Who. I am not sure, myself, how to direct those suffering terribly, in this way back to His Word.
Where does grief fit into suffering? We have a neighbor that just lost her husband to a battle with pancreatic cancer. They just moved in and we barely know her and I have been wracking my brains on what we could say to provide a cup of water. I have had Stephen Ministry training but like I said, we barely know her. She has shared her grief on Facebook and she is in the early stages.
I hope you don't mind me leaving a comment, but I'm in that exact position that your neighbour is in. I lost my husband 6 months ago after a brutal 2 year battle with pancreatic cancer. And I had to move as we were living in a parsonage. We don't have children.
Can I suggest that you visit her because she's a new neighbour, and have that as the reason to visit and to chat, and just let the conversation go from there? Or is that something that has happened already?
The early stages are devastating and also surreal, I'm sure she'd appreciate just knowing that she has neighbours who care so she doesn't feel completely alone and bewildered in her shell shock and fear.
My husband and I were blessed with hundreds of people praying for us, and we felt it...every step of the way, beautiful people appeared to help us and give us hope and strength when we needed it, even in the smallest way. And that continues for me now he's gone. It's the difference from being completely suffocated and exhausted by grief every day, and having God's promises shine a little light into your darkness, lived out through these people.
God bless you for even caring!
Vanessa
(South Australia)
Thank you for sharing that. It has to be horrible, and I cannot imagine. A virtual Christian hug to you sister. We took some banana bread at Christmas time but the wife wasnt home and he was so weak he was in no frame of mind to talk to us. She friended me on Facebook and I can feel the pain in what she has written. One of our other neighbors has had some limited contact and says she is very private.. I will also pray for you and your family.
Thank you for your kind words, and hug.
My husband Darrin, was very private. But I told him that this was a chance for us to practice what we preach, so I made sure we had all of the churches in his care, in the loop for our prayer needs. They needed to see us vulnerable and the response was amazing. They were so grateful we let them in, and that they consequently knew the different ways they could help. That feeling of helplessness is so heart breaking. I had so many people tell me how profound it was, to see everyone bond over this, that being part of the Body of Christ had never felt so real to them. And all the love Darrin had given out as a pastor came back to him a hundredfold. It was overwhelming.
Having said that, your neighbour might just be so traumatised, so tired and in a cloud of grief, that she's being private as a matter of survival. That may change over time? But maybe you could pray that God would help her let people in?
Thank you for your prayers. I truly appreciate it
Your insight is truly appreciated. You answered my question to Pastor. Darrin sounds like someone I would have loved to call Brother. Thank you, Vanessa.
It's my privilege. I'm happy if it's helped in any way.
And I know I'm biased, but Darrin was wonderful :) The whole town is in mourning for him.
And I'll add, that he was an Iowa farm boy :)
Nothing wrong with being an Iowa farm boy. He must have been wise in many ways because he found you. Thats not bias .
Would it be possible to connect with her through Facebook Messenger?
I wonder if people today are more comfortable communicating through the internet versus face to face? What do you think?
I thought about sending her a sympathy card even if we are just next door. In talking to another neighbor who has had a little contact told me she is very to herself. She has family close by so I know there is family. Just feeling the Spirit gnaw on me.
Thank you Pastor,
I have leaned heavily on Romans 5:1-5 in times of trial. I suffer from Post Concussion Syndrome. I suffer debilitating migraines triggered by light, sound, & smell hypersensitivity. Awhile back both my regular doctor & my neurologist both told me that these problems are permanent since it had been 6 years since the last concussion happened and all these triggers started happening and never went away. A week & half ago I suffered a fall at my in-laws farm. Yup, another concussion. All my overstimulated sensitivity issues are now even more hypersensitive, hopefully only temporarily. How will this affect my life, my job, my going to church, etc I do not know. But, I do know this, God will be with me as his guides me through this.
Gods blessings to you Pastor and all who read this. Amen
Thank you for this message. I am a retired pastor of the LCMS whose wife of 55 years died 6 years ago. I responded by digging into all the grief material that I could fine. Through the process I have come to the conclusion that grief is a process that strengthens our trust in the Lord. It forces us to examine our reliance upon earthly ties, and to strengthen our reliance upon the Lord's promises of His ever present care and the assurance of heaven as our eternal home. I now see grief ministry as an opportunity to affirm and strengthen our relationship with our Lord. I personally see Job as an excellent Biblical example of the process God uses to bring us to a complete reliance upon Him. God provides no answers for Job's lost and physical suffering, but brings Job to a complete dependance and trust that accepts God's plan no matter what takes place. That is what discipleship is all about. To God be the glory!
I think what you've said makes sense. My main experience with suffering is having Rheumatoid Arthritis almost my whole life. I used crutches and a wheelchair for most of my childhood, have had several joint replacements, and the daily struggles of unpredictable pain and inflammation that varies day to day. I think that, aside from a wonderful faithful family, my RA has been the most significant thing God has used to bring me closer to Him. I love this topic and talking and writing about it. I usual give it the title "blessed through pain." In my experience, it has taught me to rely on God. I've found that when I can't do much else, I can still pray and read Scripture. He became my refuge. I figure I'm weak physically so it's not a huge jump to think I could be weak spiritually, too, and need a Savior. So I think it's helped me be open to that. Romans 5 is interesting to me because I used to dislike it because I read it as law - if you're suffering, then you better be patient and have good character and be hopeful. In the last few years, it dawned on me that it's not law but rather gospel. It's not a to do list; it's a gift. And now I can see how God has used my suffering to give me patience (I have to move slow sometimes, my plans don't always happen, I have to be flexible) and character (it has redirected me to value what is most important) and hope (it has turned me to Christ and in Him is overflowing hope). And though the pain and disability are hard, God has used it for tremendous good and so that makes it worth it and overall I can say I’ve been blessed through pain.
I wonder if this also connects to Psalm 4:1 "Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!" The Lord can use suffering to show how He provides in our daily lives. . . and then when we go through the next trial in our lives we remember His faithfulness from before, hold Him to His promises, and move forward in hope. Not that He necessarily answers how we'd want Him to! But that He grounds us in the hope that He provides our daily bread in tangible ways.
My “American evangelical” family can only Hope when they pray and then receive their “miracle”. This is their confirmation of God’s love.
However, when I suffer, everything I can say is “Lord have mercy” and trust that Jesus Christ is with me and for me no matter the outcome. So, I guess my hope is right now and always.
I will listen to that. Live in Minnesota now. It has changed and not for the better but our grandkids live nearby. Getting up in the years and we want to stay close to the kids. We desire to be an influence with them as they grow as long as the Lord allows.. We found a nice church plant Lutheran church within a mile of our new home and are becoming quite involved. Great pastor.
I’ve been thinking about hope a lot recently. An old friend contacted me recently to catch up. We were friends from a young age, way before I became a Christian. My friend has been grieving for the past 3 years after finding his younger brother in his home where he’d committed suicide. He was only in his early 30’s with 3 young children and a fiancée. My friend’s brother had gotten himself into trouble with his fiancée after a weekend away with some of his friends. He felt a lot of guilt and shame for some of the things he’d got up to while away on the trip and it seems he got to the point where he could see no way out of the guilt and shame.
It got me thinking a lot about if he’d only known about the forgiveness of sins in Christ he could possibly still be here today for his family. My friend’s brother had lost all hope of reconciliation with his fiancée and children.
Satan’s desire is to tempt us into sins which will create in us such a state of shame, hopelessness and despair.
We should give thanks always to God that He has baptised us into the One who is our Blessed Hope - our Lord Jesus Christ.
I lost my father a few months ago after 14 years of great suffering as he lay bedridden due to severe brain damage which he suffered after a cardiac arrest in 2008.
Through that period of tribulation the Lord has taught so much and transformed my family and me. We are grateful for every blessing He bestows upon on us in this life but we are acutely aware that the things of this world are fragile and transient. Our hope is in the resurrection and the everlasting, unshakeable kingdom of our God. This is the hope that does not put us to shame.
I believe my old friend has reached out to me at this time because he has recognised that we have this hope and joy even in the midst of sorrow. Please remember Thomas McCormick in prayer and ask that the Lord would draw him into His hope and salvation. God bless.
Oh my goodness, how tragic.
Condolences on your own loss, and your poor friend's.
Thank you, Vanessa.
I have often reflected that we cause much of our own suffering. Not all, certainly. but when we act on our sinful desires, expecting that they will bring us happiness, we often find that they bring us only suffering instead.
No matter the cause, I think that when we finally realize we can't fix things ourselves, we realize that we have to give up trying and give ourselves over to God. (Star Wars version: "Help us, Obi Wan, you're our only hope!)
Love your stuff! Baptist for over 30 years… now loving being Lutheran… your teachings have helped me gain so much understanding! And your humor and down to earth manner keeps me listening and learning more. God is using you! Thanks for your ministry. God be praised!
I have recently been diagnosed with cancer and my head nodded when you said that suffering disconnects us from this world and makes us connect with the promises of God. We know in our minds that we are mortal and that this world is not all there is but until we come face to face with our mortality somehow we can put that fact in the background. Suffering puts it in the foreground and we have to examine what we really know about God's promises about life after death. As we accept that we may not see our grandchildren grow up, that we will leave our husband and children behind, we begin to look forward to seeing Jesus and family and friends who have already joined Him. That mental shift gives a joy to life now that had not previously been experienced. That mental shift lets us truly have thanksgiving in the midst of "todays" and our witness to His goodness becomes more focused.
I think Hebrews 6 provide a useful line of thinking, culminating in "we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
Bravery rises.
So many in the Lutheran Church would say God won't give you more than you can handle, that is a misquote of script. I would say, it's all more than we can handle, from the beginning to the end of script it's about how God gave things to his people and they messed it up one way or another. It was and is more than we can handle, thus we need God so much that He had to come and die for us. Also, it was like a get out of service free card, because the way it's worded it turns the person to God (to blame) and then inward to handle (all by yourself). This turned you away from the church and back to yourself. Very, very isolating. All law no gospel , no walking along side. I wonder if I should have said this same thing to a person who's dieing from cancer? Sounds harsh, and it was harsh. I had another person tell me (in church) that they were almost jealous of me as God must love me so much to discipline me so much. When she got cancer, I would not have said that to her. Again, harsh. Our special family member is now asleep in Jesus, but one of the things suffering taught me is what not to say.