The Established Path of Discipleship

You can’t believe your ears. It’s the job of a lifetime. It is precisely what you have dreamed of doing. So far, so good. Then the bomb drops. The job involves suffering like a soldier, requires the discipline and focus of an athlete, and long, hard-working hours like that of a farmer. Before you can say, “I’m out,” the employer says, “Don’t answer yet. Think it over,” and leaves.

I don’t think that was Timothy’s reaction to Paul’s exhortation in 2 Timothy. 2:1-7. Still, I am sure he probably had questions, especially after hearing about the suffering and hard work involved in ministry. Anticipating those questions, Paul concludes his charge to Timothy by saying, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Tim. 2:7). If I were Timothy after reading that, I would still have questions.

If you are like me and serve in a ministry role, you know life and ministry is hard. No one has to tell you that suffering, discipline, and hard work are involved. You pour your life and heart into someone only to see them abandon the faith. You have a good sense from Scripture where God wants to take your church, and few want to go there. You are feeling healthier than you ever have, and then comes the diagnosis: cancer. Life and ministry are soaring, and then a family member dies. So, think over the difficulties of life and ministry. Really? Why?

The reason for thinking over what Paul says is a promise, “For the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” This sounds like it is too good to be true. If I think over what the Bible says about the struggles of life, God will give me understanding. It is too good, but it is true. We often do not experience understanding because thinking takes time. Besides, our minds are frequently distracted, and who wants to mull over pain? Who wants to contemplate the words in Scripture and life that cause us to scratch our heads bloody?

I was two years into pastoring a church that needed revitalization when my life was tragically interrupted. My daughter left to pick up our son during the Christmas Eve service. He was intoxicated when they showed up at the reception after the service. I had my daughter take him to our house and put him to bed. The next morning, Christmas Day, he never woke up. He died of a fentanyl overdose. No one in our family was aware of his drug usage, and later, we learned that he was dealing with a lot of emotional pain. Throughout the following year, I had a lot of questions. Why did he die? What do I tell people? Is God telling me to quit the ministry? What’s next? How am I going to get through this pain? How do I comfort my family? 

I did a lot of thinking that year and the years since then. Some of my thinking was healthy, and some of it was unhealthy. Working through my thinking the entire time was a kind and comforting God renewing my mind. I cannot give you answers to all the questions, but I can tell you that God gave me understanding.

I do not know why Johnny died, but I understand God’s comfort. In the midst of all the grief, there was a day I remember being able to say, like Job, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). I did not say that through gritted teeth. I meant it. I don’t know how God did it, but I understood his comfort. I did not quit the ministry, but my ministry changed. There was a greater urgency to preach the gospel. Through all the thinking and praying, I realized there were so many people suffering with silent pain. These people needed the comforting gospel of my Savior. God gave me understanding. 

I do not know what you may be going through in this season of your life, but I know the God who does. I understand his providence as he kindly works all things for your good, even in the most excruciating pain. I understand his love as he comforts you in ways you may not be able to perceive but later acknowledge. I am not the Apostle Paul, but I can say, think over what I say, and the Lord will give you understanding in everything.