Joan E. Mathias' - Gardenjems
  • Gardenjems
  • About
  • Contact

Stewarding Pain and Sorrow

7/31/2022

Comments

 
Picture
 
Have you ever thought of the verb "steward" in the context of pain, suffering, and sorrow? Bill Johnson, Senior Pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California, taught me about this concept. In a recent sermon he preached after the death of his beloved wife, Beni, Bill spoke about the mystery of life and death and how it impacts our relationship with God. He made it clear that we cannot reevaluate what God is like because of loss.
 
Mark 10:15 quotes Jesus: "Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Jesus affirmed child-like faith to His disciples. Bill explains living with mystery in relationship to childlikeness. "The inability to live with mystery is your resistance to childlikeness. It is childlikeness that gives us access to dimensions and realms of the Kingdom that you can't get any other way. Childlike faith trusts no matter what."
 
Pain and loss, Bill says, presents us with an opportunity. "We only have one opportunity to steward a moment of pain." This word steward really caught my attention. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines the verb steward with the following words:  manage, supervise, direct, handle, oversee, tend. I believe Bill is suggesting that we redeem our pain by directing it into a time of worship. He explains that the best way to mourn is through hope. Those of us who know Jesus understand that with Him there is always hope. He is the Redeemer! Let's look at Romans 5:2b-5. "And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirt, who has been given to us."
 
God gave us His first and best gift—His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice so that we could have everlasting life with Him. This poured out love is never ending. The best way for us to connect with His love is through worship. Worship expressed in difficulties and sorrow and during times of inexpressible pain is what puts us into His Presence. Bill says, "Answers don't fix the problem; Presence does." True worship presents the Lord with an offering that costs us something.
 
Didn't Jesus model this for us? His pain and suffering on the Cross were unimaginable! He experienced separation from God and yet He trusted Him. His last words were, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." (Luke 23:46) Jesus knew that His Father is always good and would use the seed of His death for a great harvest. We must follow HIs example by stewarding our moments of pain when they present themselves to us. We must embrace childlike faith and trust the Lord to redeem our pain. Remember, in heaven we will not be able to worship in pain. Bill says this "privilege" only comes on earth. He continues: "Worship is expressing joy in loss and celebration in pain. I must honor Him as the Healer that I know He is even when I do not see it. He does not owe me an explanation. I must give Him an offering that costs me."
 
Job 13:15 begins, "Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him..." We have a reason to embrace hope, as Bill explains. "Every loss and disappointment can become a seed that brings increase. God uses our crisis's to help us grow. Jesus takes our pain and loss and gives them to God. He will plant them and will be glorified by the blessing." Bill prayed a prayer for all of us:  "May you be blessed with courage to lean into mystery and experience who He is as an unfailing, unchanging Father who is always good!" Amen! 
Comments

    Joan E. Mathias

    Categories

    All
    Authority In Jesus
    Celebrations/Holidays
    Foundation Of Our Nation
    Hebrew Calendar/Celebrations
    Intimacy With God
    Israel/Jewish People
    Kingdom Living
    Music
    Nature
    Revival
    Roots Of Our Christian Faith
    Victory In Christ

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from BPPrice, joncutrer, kennethkonica, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, GollyGforce - Living My Worst Nightmare, ohitzanna, AlicePopkorn2, slgckgc, Chris_Short, homethods, PrincessAshley, Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel, donald judge, Branson Missouri, slgckgc, David A Mitchell, Martin Pettitt, homethods, toptenalternatives, llamnudds, mikecogh, Martin Pettitt, kun0me, mareeshastar, A_Peach, Boris Kukushkin, cantanima, Renaud Camus, Accretion Disc, teofilo, Dushan and Miae, bertknot, Ellemgee Photography, Robert Couse-Baker, Oh Paris, peter.tully64, Patricia Pierce, http://globalquiz.org, *_*, markus spiske, Rob.Bertholf, blondinrikard, archer10 (Dennis), Art4TheGlryOfGod, Arran Bee, James St. John, blumenbiene, Like us on Facebook at CAGuard, Kanguru Adventure, USDAgov, hassage, Vironevaeh, Rick Camacho, Rennett Stowe, Accretion Disc, alexander.parsalidis, Infomastern, Actual Brian Crawford, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, grongar, pburka, James St. John, daspader, Giuseppe Milo (www.pixael.com), gitsul., Traveller-Reini, slgckgc, xiquinhosilva, Bernt Rostad, EinarMostad, afunkydamsel, byzantiumbooks, drewgstephens, Rod Waddington, BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives, Antonio Calero Garcia, Leimenide, idovermani, Kaarina Dillabough, Janitors, Somuchtwosay, michael_swan, Joey Z1, cristina.sanvito, Wonderlane, cliff1066™, Elekes Andor, Vincent_AF, DonkeyHotey, @jbtaylor, Jason Rosenberg, ian?, Ian W Scott, markbyzewski, cowbite, Infomastern, homegets.com, chrismetcalfTV, wuestenigel, timpeartrice, David Jones, Randy Son Of Robert, jimw7, Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon, Rachel-Esther, runneralan2004, hedera.baltica, CaliforniaDFW, spbda, itmpa, Sir, Rony, slgckgc, Boston Public Library, oliver.dodd, slgckgc, barnimages.com, fbaett, Oli-Oviyan, Robert Couse-Baker, hello-julie, blmurch, Lonni.besançon, DPP Business and Tax, Ervins Strauhmanis, Rylee Isitt, kuhnmi, Björn S..., Laurie Nature Bee, samsaundersleeds, Waiting For The Word, Bananenfalter, plantronicsgermany, Mark Wordy, JoanDragonfly, Lodo27, aaron_anderer, x1klima, Photography by Brian Lauer, amseaman, emiliechenphotography, Mangiafazula07, 津山市立図書館 Public Library of Tsuyama, Rob.Bertholf, slgckgc, srqpix, pburka, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, Christine Wagner, Jaykhuang, sonstroem, Sam Howzit, C Jill Reed, John.P.Rairdon, Steenbergs, MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife, FotoGuy 49057, Neeta Lind, cattan2011, wuestenigel, D. Scott Taylor, The Travelling Bum, South African Tourism, claydevoute, Skley, Pedro Paulo Palazzo, alexliivet, JIRCAS, pasa47, blumenbiene, *_*, susieq3c, ishaandave1991, Me in ME, slashvee, mutovkin, kcxd, TravelBakerCounty, wuestenigel, Don & Janet Beasley, Schneidersphotography, Panegyrics of Granovetter, Eusebius@Commons, USDAgov, edenpictures, slgckgc, Ninara, Carly & Art, elmetatron, slgckgc, BadSoull, NathalieSt, Humphrey King, Mark Berbezier
  • Gardenjems
  • About
  • Contact