Comfort and Assurance During Fragile Times
Ministry can be a high octane, adrenaline induced activity sometimes. The nature of my particular call to focus people feels so important and strategic and stirs my heart and mind daily. It feels like such a privilege and honor to be doing what I'm doing currently. I want to give it my all and rise to the occasion. I want to be worthy of Christ's sacrifice and do well for the Kingdom He came to inaugurate, and help bring more people from the focus world to that final feast that Luke anticipates in his Gospel: "People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God." Luke 13:29.
And yet, the going gets tough sometimes and we need encouragement. All pastors and ministers of the Gospel [that includes anyone who seeks to follow Christ!] need reminders that they are not alone.
This last month has been full with speaking engagements and exciting, developing new ministry relationships and directions. I see a lot of potential and significant ministry emerging. We are starting to reap the rewards of some patient ground work. At the same time, I have felt very fragile. You don't need to know the details other than that some turns in the road seem to threaten my peace and security in the Lord and in this ministry.
I mentioned in a previous post that I was at the Covenant Ministers' Midwinter conference recently. Ken and I were able to give a workshop on our contextual model for ministry that we are developing. Anyway, this conference is a wonderful event, held each year, full of great times to reconnect with friends and to be fed through worship and great teaching. This time I was struck by the simple, yet powerful, words of an old hymn that we sang in one of our evening worship sessions. I share it with you on this blog in hopes it might be a comfort to you and a reminder that God is with us always. It speaks of God's presence each step of the way, even…or perhaps most when we don't really feel like it. This is the Psalm 139 kind of presence, the kind from which we cannot flee!
The tune is kind of schmaltzy, but hey, the words struck me this year at the Midwinter. It is called: "I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry."
I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old,
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.
I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
In a blaze of light you wandered off
to find where demons dwell.
When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;
You were raised to praise the living Lord,
to whom you now belong.
In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I'll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I've begun.
When the evening gently closes in,
and you shut your weary eyes,
I'll be there as I have always been
with just one more surprise.
I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.
God is with me. He is with you. He carries you and me through thick and thin. He rejoices each step of the way. Rest in that today.
Have a wonderful week and rest in the assurance of His constant and abiding presence.
