I love this quote from Pastor Brandon Cox: “We often hide from those who would most like to help us, but they’re out there.” I get frustrated at times when people say they want help, but they never do what they need to do, such as meeting with a Christian counselor. I was talking to a man yesterday by phone from Texas. He had just received word that his mother had passed away. We had a wonderful conversation, twice yesterday. I talk to many folks throughout the months all over America, and help them as much as possible. I have wonderful people I can refer folks to. It’s getting people to make that move toward healing that can get frustrating. I get sad when I see people struggling on the same issue day after day, month after month, year after year. Hope is within your reach. Make the move. Please. Whether it’s losing a loved one, losing a friend, bad health, a family member who has received a very bad diagnosis, everyone has something they need to be healed from. I see it all. I do my best to put my hand out there…
Brandon A. Cox is the lead pastor of Grace Hills Church in Rogers, Arkansas.
Healing comes with a heavy cost.
We can release our grip on resentment and rebellion, receive help and experience renewal in every part of our lives. But…
If we do that—if we embrace the kind of healing available to everybody who is broken and in pain—we’ll have to let go of some things that are quite precious to us.
Like our pain, which we nurse closely.
Or pride, which tells us we’re more okay than everybody else.
Or shame, which tells us we’re way worse than everyone else.
Or resentment, which we use as a weapon toward those who have harmed us and a wall for those who would try to get closer to us. More Here
Years ago, the late Pastor Ray Franks of Albuquerque said to me, “Dewey, always pray for the Lord’s Will to be done.”
That has helped me so very much in my life and of course as a pastor attempting to help people with all sorts of challenges. We pray, The Lord’s will be done in each of our lives, and all those we love. Not our will. YES! It is hard to let go! I KNOW!
Got Questions states: “Thy will be done” is one of the requests in the Lord’s Prayer. In part, Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–10). Jesus Himself pleaded for God’s will to be done in the Garden of Gethsemane. Prior to His crucifixion, He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
Jesus was committed to seeing God’s will accomplished, and the prayer “Thy will be done” was a theme of His life. More Here
Got Questions states: Grief is an emotion common to the human experience, and we witness the process of grief throughout the biblical narrative. Multiple Bible characters experienced deep loss and sadness, including Job, Naomi, Hannah, and David. Even Jesus mourned (John 11:35; Matthew 23:37-39). After Lazarus died, Jesus went to the village of Bethany, where Lazarus was buried. When Jesus saw Martha and the other mourners weeping, He also wept. He was moved by their grief and also by the fact of Lazarus’s death. The astounding thing is that, even though Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, He chose to partake of the grief of the situation. Jesus truly is a high priest who can “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15). More Here
When my mom passed away of cancer, a man said to me, “We prayed for the healing of your mom’s cancer and she was healed.” That was the worst thing anybody could say to me at that time. We, as a family, had prayed for our mom also. That one comment helped me so very much as a Pastor.
We must always be sensitive, and we must help people with grieving and not make stupid comments. The Lord’s Will be done.
