Christian Community amid Suffering
I have a great team of leaders who lead community groups and make disciples in our 20s ministry. The past two weeks I've loved watching our Christian community at work as suffering hit.My friends/fellow leaders Ryan and Lailah got news that Ryan's sister Jamie was in a car accident in Kazakhstan, leaving her in a coma and the other two passengers dead. Immediately Ryan and Lailah got on a plane and flew east. As Ryan and Lailah walked through this suffering and asked for prayer and help, I watched two other members of our team, a married couple who have suffered greatly the past 4 months, pass on care and counsel from the Word of God. Here is one of the emails that this couple sent to Ryan and Lailah and our whole team:
These are the verses we have been hanging onto through our season of trial:Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship, and by him we cry "Abba", "Father".Romans 5: 2b - 5 "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts"John 16:33 "in this world you WILL have trouble (tribulation - severe suffering). But take heart! I have overcome the world!"Psalm 86: 5 - 7 "You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord; Listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me."Lamentations 3: 21 - 23 "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Becasue of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every mornings; great is your faithfulness" (this is a GREAT chapter in general)Psalm 34: 17 - 18 " The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. the Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit"Romans 8:28 " And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son..."1 Peter 1: 6b - 7 " For a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed."Keep going! Keep trusting in God's GOODNESS, His SOVEREIGNTY and His WISDOM... know that God is able to use ALL THINGS for our good and for His glory! Remember that we only have small brains, capable of only understanding what God allows us to understand. We do not have His perspective and so we cannot grasp His infinite wisdom... but also, remember that "Jesus wept" - even though God's ways and thoughts are SO much beyond ours, He STILL CRIES WITH US!!!We are weeping with you and praying for you through this trial...Heaps of love...