Principle 6: Prayer is a Gift

 

As we prepared and planned for our trip to Levelock, Pastor Luke presented it to the church saying, "This is an 'all church' missions trip." That is to say, there are ways for everyone to be involved even though only a few will be going. One of the main ways that he suggested people be involved was through prayer. Now, I don't know about you but I'm guilty of hearing that kind of thing in many situations over the years and thinking, "Ah, I see how it is, I've been relegated to the bottom rung of the ladder where, 'All we can do is pray.'" 

However, this is clearly not how Paul viewed the gift of prayer in his second letter to the Corinthian Church. In 1:8 Paul reflects on his time in Asia when he was under such intense affliction that he gave up hope of living through it. But then he goes on to recognize the purpose of all of it in vs. 9. 

Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in the God who raises the dead. He delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him that he will deliver us yet again, 

So, through this near death experience, Paul and his companions got to learn what it meant to depend on the God who is capable of resurrection in a situation in which he absolutely could not control the outcome. He learned to put his hope in the deliverance of God both then and in the future. What does Paul attribute this miraculous rescue and spiritual lesson to? The prayers of the Corinthians and many others. 

As you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to God on our behalf  for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.

I never really had  chance to despair of life itself, but had I been able to see the ice coming at me in the few seconds of our rapid decent, I probably would have. But meanwhile, my church is praying and I know from experience, one of the most popular prayers out here in the bush is for safe travels. So thanks to that gift, miraculously, we survived impact. 

As I lay there on the ice for hours waiting for rescue, I could take comfort in knowing, there were shockwaves of prayer requests reverberating across the globe. 

As the story unfolded in the next few days, we learned that there was a divinely placed Alaska State Trooper who was responsible for making very difficult decision about how our rescue would go down. He asked for prayer and in minutes before the deadline the best case scenario plays out on the scene as rescue squadrons arrive. 

Another memory that sticks in my mind is being wheeled out of my hospital room on the way to surgery and there is one of my fellow passengers, Eric, he had hobbled over from his room on a broken ankle and camped outside waiting for me since he wasn't allowed in. The one thing he was able to say as I passed by, "People all over the world are praying for you."

I don't take the gift of prayer for granted anymore. I used to see prayer teams as support personnel and the pastors, and missionaries and such were the real "combatants" in our battle against the spiritual forces. But after a few years of being involved in spiritual warfare, I've come to see it differently. The prayer warriors are the Navy, the artillery, and the Air-force bringing the spiritual bombardment on the enemy and when the "infantry" shows up, it's to clean up the mess.

So thank you to the thousands who offered your gifts of prayer. The Lord heard you and spared our lives and our legs. Because of you, we are walking / hobbling and talking today. But please bear in mind that while we are grateful for our physical salvation, the reason we were out there in the first place remains. It's the reason I gladly took the risk of the trip and plan to do it again. The thousands of Alaskans who are stuck in despair and spiritual darkness, and need the hope that we already have in Jesus Christ. Would you join me in launching a spiritual bombardment against the forces evil that would like to destroy our villages? This weekend over a hundred people are coming to our camp here in Port Alsworth for Spring Family Conference. Would you pray that Jesus would rescue those who are lost and whose faith has been shipwrecked, like you prayed for me? 

Principle 5: Gratitude is the Door to Joy in the House of Suffering

I come to and instinctively put my finger on the broken fuel line that is pouring avgas onto my lap. As I hold it there I look around and slowly begin to realize the scene I'm in is real. I'm not dreaming that I'm in a plane crash, I am in one. My back is screaming at me that something is terribly wrong.  I don't move but I listen to each of my friends in the plane respond to each other and realize we're all alive. 

Thank you, Lord. 

As Eric hobbles around like a half broken Energizer Bunny, he extricates each of us from the plane. We're finally all out of the fuel-soaked fuselage, laying on something and covered with every warm item he can find. 

Thank you, Lord.

I struggle with the phones Eric handed me -- call 911, text Megan, text Jeremy, text Annie, 1 bar, zero bars, message send failure over and over... nothing. finally one message says "sent." "Crashed outside ILI 59.64795, -154.98317."

Thank you, Lord.

A Pilatus aircraft is overhead, we've been located.

Thank you, Lord.

Supercub lands and radios the news that we're all alive, bringing some relief to those anxiously waiting at home. 

Thank you, Lord.

People start arriving in droves, more warmth, helping hands and caring faces.

Thank you, Lord. 

Hours later, the welcome sound of helicopter blades cuts the air. The Coastguard and the Rescue Squadrons have arrived. 

Thank you, Lord. 

I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

I have to admit, the last post on Lament Vs. Grumbling felt a little surreal to write. I think because I haven't fully experienced those feelings yet, but I wanted to be prepared. Don't get me wrong, there have been tears, but generally they have been when I think about how grateful I am. 

I think we often assume that joy and pain are opposites, but that's simply not biblical or my experience. 

"But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: ... and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything."

(2 Co 6:4–10).

 

A little later as Paul is dealing with church conflict (which we all love doing) he writes. 

I am overflowing with joy in the midst of all our suffering.

(2 Co 7:4). 

I also think of Paul and Silas in Philippi in Acts 16. They've just been beaten with rods, thrown in prison and put in stocks. So what's their natural response? Sing hymns of course! Wouldn't you? 

How can we find joy in the midst of sorrow? By remembering God's gracious act of salvation for us and that we only have to suffer the pain of this world for a short time before we have a better and lasting possessions. In that, we maintain an attitude of gratitude. (I Peter 1:6), (Heb 10:34)  

I feel like I got a physical preview of this spiritual / physical reality. I got to be saved from physical harm and death and got to experience the gratitude of that during and after. But with the salvation of our Lord coming we can experience the gratitude in having been saved, in being saved now, and the sure and certain hope of our coming salvation. That kind of gratitude truly changes a person's outlook on life. 

So here's my observation about gratitude.

In a state of gratitude:

Sorrow is tempered

Despair is banished

Loss is acceptable

Joy is persistent

We got to meet and thank members of the 210th (Helicopters), 211th (HC-130), and 212th (Prarescuemen) Rescue squadrons in person a couple weeks after the rescue. 

Motto inside the hanger door

Meeting the pilot who flew through terrible weather to reach us just before we would have been towed out. 

One of the helicopters used by the 210th 

 

Principle 4: Lament and Grumbling are not the same thing

Has reading the Psalms ever made you uncomfortable? For me sometimes it’s the complaints about God’s abandonment. Things like, “My God, I cry out to you by day but you do not answer me, by night, but I find no rest.” (Ps 22:2)
Sometimes they just sound like whiners. “All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. They conspire, they lurk they watch my steps hoping to take my life.” (Ps 56:5-6)

All of this begs the question in my mind -- What exactly is the difference between the psalmist’s bitter complaints and the grumblings of the bad actors from the book of Numbers like Korah and the 10 spies? The one is held up as an example of praise and prayer to follow and the other is condemned as a sin alongside sexual immorality and idolatry. (I Cor 10:6-10)

In many ways I feel like the hardest part of my experience with having a broken back is still ahead. Up until now, I have been focused on recovery and doctor’s appointments; and I have been able to convalesce with my needs taken care of.  I have spent a lot of time just thinking about how thankful I am to be alive and not permanently maimed. I am thankful for the 176th Wing Rescue Squadrons that showed up in the nick of time to carry us to safety and treatment. But at some point I would do well to count up my losses and grieve them well.

 
Things like: the time lost with my students that I will never be able to get back, not getting to finish my house with my own hands, and losing the ability to physically help my wife through her third trimester and delivery.  I’m sure the list will grow, especially as I return home next week and try to figure out the new normal.

 
So how can I, as I grapple with these things, keep it in the realm of lament and praise while avoiding the pitfall of grumbling? Here are some observations I’ve made that I will need to learn to apply:

Grumbling 

• Has blatant overtones of a lack of faith. When the Israelites were about to go into the promise land, they struggled because some of the spies brought a bad report and caused doubt that God could give them the land. “If only we had died in Egypt or in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?” (Num 14:2) 
• Accuses God of wrongdoing and chooses to hold on to bitterness. “It is against the LORD that you and all you followers have banded together. (Num 16:11) 
• Goes hand in hand with rebellion against authority. “The next day, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron, ‘you have killed the lord’s People,’ they said.” (Num 16:14)

Lament 

• Is unashamed to express emotion / grief. “I am worn out from my groaning, all night long I flood my bed with weeping…” (Ps 6:6) 
• Is not afraid to ask questions but doesn’t demand answers. “Why, Lord do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Ps 10:1)
• Circles around to praise and trust. There are many examples of this throughout the Psalms and usually if people are disturbed by what they read, it’s because they are reading a verse or section alone and don’t finish the Psalm. I like to go to Psalm 13 for a clear example of this because in 6 short verses, it goes from questioning God’s apparent absence, to asking for His response to expressing trust and faith in Him.

 Psalm 13
"For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, 'I have overcome him,'
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me."

Lord, help me to maintain a faith in your unfailing love even when I am sad and don’t understand.

Principle 3: What happens IN you is more important than what happens TO you.

Dr. Larry Severson

 

They say suffering builds character, but I’ve noticed that it can either build character or foster bitterness.

It was discharge day! It had been a full week in the hospital and I finally got a change of scenery. Two more weeks before I get to go home though. The phone rings, it’s my friend who was flying the plane when we went down. He’s calling to offer his sincere apologies for what happened and what we are all going through…

It would have been easy to find someone to blame, there is always someone to blame whether they are actually at fault or not. If all else fails, we can always blame God (who is supposed to be in control of everything) for not controlling it the way we wanted Him to. You see, the reality is, when we suffer a wound, whether it’s physical, emotional, or otherwise, it’s a lot like running a plow through a field. It tears up the soil and makes it ready for planting. The problem is, that seeds of truth are not the only thing being planted. The enemy is prowling around waiting for his opportunity to plant lies at the same vulnerable moment.

We have a choice in that moment what we nurture and grow. One of the most profound things I have heard on trauma from Marcus Werner is, something along the lines of, “It’s not the size of the wound that produces the effects of trauma, but the size of the lie that we believe as a result of the wound.”

We could sit around and compare wounds all day. But suddenly my measly broken back would look pretty small compared with my friend, Elishaba’s, 29 years of every kind of abuse imaginable that she just chronicled in her book Out of the Wilderness. Yet, she is one of the most soft-hearted, forgiving, and loving people I know. How does this happen? She let Christ work in her and He is pulling up the destructive lies and planting a beautiful garden of truth and forgiveness.

The reality is, there is not much point in comparison, but there is great value in keeping a close watch on our hearts in these moments. “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;” (Heb 12:15)

“Forgive one another, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done.” (Eph 4:32)

So, yes, in that moment talking to the pilot, I had a choice to make. Thankfully it had already been made when I chose a life of forgiveness. To follow Jesus is to forgive. How could I choose bitterness when he chose grace toward me?

So do I know who or what caused the crash? No, not really. Do I need to? I don’t think so, because I don’t need someone to blame. That’s not the Jesus way.

And yes, there are a lot of other things that can happen in a person’s heart as a result of trauma, many of them ugly and some quite beautiful.

“Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Rom 8:3-5)

The important part is to remember that, while we can’t always control what happens to us, but thanks to the Holy Spirit and the Word, we can control how we respond to it. That will determine whose likeness we represent to the world.

Principle 2: Risk and suffering for the sake of the Kingdom are completely worthwhile:

Americans are obsessed with safety. Jesus was not. At least not by the same definition. I found I had some time to reflect as I was laying on the ice with a broken back outside of a fuel soaked plane, having somehow just dragged my co-worker away from the wreckage. I would have 6 hours or so before medical transport would begin and I remember thinking, “This is an acceptable outcome for doing what God called us to do.” Why? Because I have seen that God has a different definition of safety.
Take a look at what Paul says in his last days as he gives his charge to Timothy, his companion in Missions and “spiritual son.” II Tim 3:10-11
“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.”
Then later II Tim 4:18
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Wait a minute. How can you endure something and be rescued from it at the same time? If I remember right, Timothy was living in Lystra when Paul first picked him up as a travel companion. That very same city where, on a previous visit, people pursued Paul from two other cities and stoned him to the point where they thought he was dead and drug him away. But then Paul got up and walked back into the city. Timothy knew these stories because he was there.
My American understanding of safety is all about mitigating all the risks we possibly can. What is more important than the health and wellbeing of our bodies anyway?
Paul’s understanding of “Kingdom Safety” is “God will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.” I may come skidding in sideways, in a ball of flame and carrying a lifetime of scars, but I’ll arrive home safely.
The difference between the American Ideal of safety and the Kingdom version seems to have a lot to do with where “home” is for you. There clearly is something more important than physical safety.
Now, am I saying that we shouldn’t mitigate risks at all? No, that’s not the point. There are many senseless accidents that don’t need to happen. Generally speaking, loving people well means protecting them from harm. The point here is that there is an acceptable level of risk for kingdom work and it’s up to us to know what level God is calling us to and having the courage / trust to follow him into that. I personally, don’t regret one bit taking the risks we did on that trip because I know I was doing what the Lord was asking me to do. There are a lot of things I could have been afraid of but I choose to bear this in mind.
“Fear God and keep his commands, for this is the duty of all mankind,” Ecclesiastes 12:13
And “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the Glory that will be revealed in us.”

Principle 1: It's OK to not Understand

 

Many people have been asking how I am doing lately. I can’t imagine why, except that perhaps it has something to do with having broken my back in an aircraft accident while returning from a service trip recently. My physical healing is progressing well. There have been a number of answers to prayer in that area and that make me very grateful for the thousands who are interceding on my behalf. That is truly a ministry of Christ - asking the Father to heal and retore the physically broken.

However, there is another side to suffering that I wanted to give you all an update on and that is the spiritual / emotional side. It would be easy to be devastated in my situation as I am anticipating my first child in a couple months, I am trying to finish my house to be ready for her and, generally speaking, I thrive on extensive outdoor activity and physical work. Now, I won’t even be able to pick up my child out of a crib until she’s several months old. But instead of devastation, I feel your prayers holding me up and constantly reminding me of some important biblical principles for suffering. Principles I have the privilege of revisiting and teaching year after year with my students, but principles which mean nothing until they are applied in the context of real-world suffering.

Principle 1: It’s OK to not understand:

We go over this in Job every year. He is devastated physically and emotionally by the loss of everything he has and his response in 1:21 is

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

And naked I will depart.

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;

May the name of the Lord be praised.”

It sure seems like he weathered that well, but then you realize it doesn’t stop there. The enemy doubles down and through Job’s “friends” brings 35 chapters worth of continued torment in trying to convince him that it’s his fault. This pushes Job to a pretty dark place where in 18:6 he even says, “…then I know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me.” But finally, God, not being content to leave his friend languishing in despair, meets him and gives him a virtual tour of the universe. One which, oddly enough, doesn’t explain any of his suffering but rather showcases the incredible sovereignty and wisdom of God. At the end of it, Job’s response is,

“Surely I spoke of a thing I did not understand,

Things too wonderful for me to know…

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

(42:3,5)

Job is humbled by the knowledge that God knows more than he could ever possibly hope to about what’s going on in the background of his suffering (which suddenly seems quite small in the grand scheme).

I think what he finds and what I find through this experience, is that because God is both good and wise, I can trust him unreservedly without having to understand the meaning of it all. He is truly worthy of the kind of trust that says, “shall we accept good from God and not trouble?”