Pain to Purpose Devotional - DAY 32
Week 5: Jesus
SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
Proverbs 11:25
25 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
DEVO:
The loss of Lazarus wasn’t the only place in scripture Jesus demonstrated intense grief. In fact, there was one tragedy that hit even closer to home, partly because Jesus knew the end result for Lazarus would be new life. This loss, however, was far worse for Jesus as He knew God’s plan for this one was set in stone.
Jesus likely grew up somewhat ostracized from other Jewish boys his age. We don’t know this for sure but based on Jewish culture we can infer that his “illegitimate birth” (Mary’s pregnancy out of wedlock that is), His superior knowledge of scripture, and His likely keen sense of purpose from an early age probably caused Him to be pushed to the margins by His colleagues. Perhaps this is why those marginalized and oppressed were enamored by Him once He started His public ministry. It is highly likely that He found solace in one strong friendship growing up — another social misfit, his cousin, John the Baptist.
From the moment of Mary’s immaculate conception, the two boys seemed to be bonded. When Mary visited her pregnant cousin Elizabeth (who was well along in her own term carrying John), Elizabeth tells Mary that the baby “leapt in her womb” as soon as Mary entered the room. John and Jesus were bound to be best of friends and strong partners in ministry. John was called to be forerunner to prepare people’s hearts for Jesus’ ministry, and Jesus was to take the baton and run with it from there. Only months apart in age, the two surely spent many days adventuring, playing, and getting into normal boyhood mischief together.
On one special occasion after John had begun his preaching and baptizing ministry in the Judean Wilderness, Jesus came to see him for the sole purpose of inaugurating his public ministry by being baptized by John. This was a special moment for the both of them as their friendship came full circle into purposeful, missional brotherhood. There are few friendships that are forged deeper than through the bonds of ministry.
So when Jesus received word in Matthew 14 that John had been executed by beheading by Herod the Tetrarch, I can only imagine the deep sense of loss He must have felt. Scripture tells us that as soon as Jesus heard the news, He got in a boat to go to a solitary place. Like most of us, he wanted to just be alone and not have to deal with the endless obligatory sympathies likely to come from well-meaning yet emotionally clumsy people. Not to mention wherever Jesus went publicly he was constantly followed, needed, prodded, and demanded of. After a loss this devastating, He just needed solitude and solace.
Scripture tells us, however, that the crowds found out where He was heading and they ran around the sea of Galilee to meet him up there. The account tells us it was about 5,000 men plus women and children, which likely sends the total number of this throng to around 20,000 people. This is how high of demand Jesus was in. I hope the paradox isn’t lost on you. In the moment where Jesus needs to get alone the most, He is surrounded by potentially the single greatest crowd scripture would document in His ministry.
This may not have been a terrible thing had this crowd gathered around to comfort him. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. They gathered because they wanted something from Him. They wanted Him to teach them some more, and as the hours dragged on, they wanted Him to provide dinner for them.
Per the disciples' suggestion, Jesus could have easily stopped for the day and sent them away to find food for themselves. He could have asked Peter to stand up and announce, “Guys, I’m so sorry but the Teacher has been through a very difficult time over the past couple of days. We need to give him some space and some time to grieve.” But Jesus didn’t. He didn’t solicit any kind of interference. He sat and taught them for hours on end. And when the crowd began to grow restless and hungry, He asked for a little boy's takeout from Captain D’s (5 loaves of bread and 2 fish) and performed the greatest miracle—as far as volume is concerned—that scripture documents. He multiplies the boy’s lunch and feeds everyone, leaving twelve to-go baskets for the disciples.
This passage teaches us a very important principle that can be applied to our own grief—out of your greatest misery can come your greatest ministry. It’s in the season that you feel the driest, the most deplete, the most wrung out, the most distraught, the most overwhelmed, the saddest, the most hurt that God can do His most effective work, if you lean into His power and strength. Like an underground river that flows beneath layers of dry, hard limestone, when you lean into God’s work in your life through tragedy and trial, the drill of His grace will drive you deeper until you hit a wellspring flowing up from within. And that wellspring will produce life and refreshment for so many others.
So while it is very important—and even necessary—to escape from time to time for solitude and solace during difficult seasons, it’s equally important to lean in and allow your hurt to heal people around you. You’d be utterly amazed at how God’s power can explode out of your weakest, most vulnerable seasons.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND JOURNALING:
Why is it important to get away from people and take some time to grieve when you’ve experienced loss or trial in your life?
How do you discern when it’s an appropriate time to pour out to others and when you need to take some time for yourself?
In what ways might God be wanting to use your deepest misery to be turned around into a ministry?
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to recognize that out of my pain you want to help many other people who are hurting come into relationship with you and know you on a deeper level. I realize that my pain is going to drive me into a deeper place, and as you heal me in my time with you, please keep my heart tender and my eyes open for opportunities to pour into others as well.
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