Missions on the Frontline
a ministry of WorldVenture
April 2010 International Ministry eLetter
Groanings
When words fail, we groan. When pain cripples our soul, we groan. When despair invades our hearts, we groan. When our relationships lie in ruins, we groan. When I am revealed for who I am, I groan.
A casual reading of the Bible reveals that groaning--soul anguish--is no respecter of persons, nor of peoples:
At our Good Friday service, I was struck by the statement that the soul-anguish of Jesus in Gethsemane was not induced by his immanent suffering nor by a fear of death but rather by the indescribable loss of his relationship with the Father. We find no such evidence of soul-anguish from Adam nor of Eve in the realization of their nakedness. Truthfully, we scarcely comprehend it and acknowledge it ourselves. And if we can minimize our loss of relationship with God so lightly, what chance then do we have of meaningful relationships with others? No wonder then that Jesus summed up the entire law as, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."
May our soul-anguish find refuge in Jesus who knows the despair of separation. May our groaning find oneness with the Spirit of God who intercedes for us. May our despair lead us into real community with the Triune God and with others. And may our hearts find new despair, the anguish for those who have yet to know Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Savior of all men!
groaning in Christ,
--Jeff Denlinger
...good to know...
The Leadership Ellipse: Shaping How We Lead by Who We Are by Robert Fryling
"Everyone in a position of responsibility knows the tension of leadership. It may be between tasks or people, money or mission, the present or the future. One often neglected tension is between our inner spiritual longings and the outward needs of the group we lead. But we need not feel forced to choose between the two. Leadership has more in common with an ellipse with two focal points than a bull's-eye with a single target. The Leadership Ellipse is designed to help Christian leaders embrace both halves of the tension--our internal relationship with God and our external relationship with others--to find a truly authentic, integrated way to lead. If you find yourself in a lonely, isolated place of leadership, this book can be your companion. If you find yourself longing to lead in a way that is truly Christian, this book can be your guide. And if you are simply exhausted, then this book can offer you a new way to find refreshment. There is life beyond the bull's-eye."
When words fail, we groan. When pain cripples our soul, we groan. When despair invades our hearts, we groan. When our relationships lie in ruins, we groan. When I am revealed for who I am, I groan.
A casual reading of the Bible reveals that groaning--soul anguish--is no respecter of persons, nor of peoples:
- The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. (Exodus 2)
- For the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. (Judges 2)
- For sighing comes to me instead of food; my groans pour out like water. (Job 3)
- My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. (Psalm 6)
- I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. (Psalm 38)
- The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she is in bitter anguish. (Lamentations 1)
- Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry. (Jeremiah 4)
- Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief. (Ezekiel 21)
- And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22)
- I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. (Romans 9)
- For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. (2 Corinthians 2)
At our Good Friday service, I was struck by the statement that the soul-anguish of Jesus in Gethsemane was not induced by his immanent suffering nor by a fear of death but rather by the indescribable loss of his relationship with the Father. We find no such evidence of soul-anguish from Adam nor of Eve in the realization of their nakedness. Truthfully, we scarcely comprehend it and acknowledge it ourselves. And if we can minimize our loss of relationship with God so lightly, what chance then do we have of meaningful relationships with others? No wonder then that Jesus summed up the entire law as, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."
May our soul-anguish find refuge in Jesus who knows the despair of separation. May our groaning find oneness with the Spirit of God who intercedes for us. May our despair lead us into real community with the Triune God and with others. And may our hearts find new despair, the anguish for those who have yet to know Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Savior of all men!
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9)
groaning in Christ,
--Jeff Denlinger
...good to know...
The Leadership Ellipse: Shaping How We Lead by Who We Are by Robert Fryling
"Everyone in a position of responsibility knows the tension of leadership. It may be between tasks or people, money or mission, the present or the future. One often neglected tension is between our inner spiritual longings and the outward needs of the group we lead. But we need not feel forced to choose between the two. Leadership has more in common with an ellipse with two focal points than a bull's-eye with a single target. The Leadership Ellipse is designed to help Christian leaders embrace both halves of the tension--our internal relationship with God and our external relationship with others--to find a truly authentic, integrated way to lead. If you find yourself in a lonely, isolated place of leadership, this book can be your companion. If you find yourself longing to lead in a way that is truly Christian, this book can be your guide. And if you are simply exhausted, then this book can offer you a new way to find refreshment. There is life beyond the bull's-eye."
Comment
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Comment by Linnea Boese on April 8, 2010 at 2:46pm
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Jeff, I wonder what personal groanings may have prompted this meditation. I know that I could list a number, no problem . . . there are the betrayals, the disappointments, the anger at slander/injustice, the losses, the yearning for what is so far way . . . Enough. This is a very pertinent reminder that the Scriptures cover the gamut. I'm reminded, too, that the Spirit prays for us with groans that cannot even be uttered. And here is something I learned a couple of weeks ago about the word "compassion" -- it's based on the Hebrew word for "womb", and evokes the image of mother-love, that strong connection between mother and the child she has birthed. He who birthed us loves us, that way. Trying to translate it into Nyarafolo, I asked my co-translator what he would call a mother who demonstrated that love for her child. His answer was compound word that includes these ideas: she finds mercy enough (in her love) to die for them. That's our God of compassion, loving us with to-die-for love.
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Comment by Mark Penner on April 6, 2010 at 4:21pm -
Thank you, Jeff. Death and suffering are so stigmatized in our culture--in my personal culture, much as I hate to admit it. I quickly see it as normal to gloss over struggles and avoid encountering the pain in my own heart, even while trying to "help" others with their own. How shallow and disconnected I immediately become. Oh for a heart to follow after God, my Jesus, whose great shudder of horror still echoes and shakes up the dust of our lives today. The Holy Spirit whose groans wake a new life deep within and draw us to our Father.
Dave Martunnen has a line that he often repeats when ministering to us in Japan: "If it seems hard, maybe its because it IS hard. " And somehow, maybe the way he says it, the burden lifts, the realities shift, and life seems a bit more normal.
Thanks, Jeff, for adding your voice to the mix, for groaning with us.
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Comment by Calla Jean Wright on April 4, 2010 at 6:41pm -
Thanks for the reminder of groaning in the Bible, Jeff. I find Jesus' groanings in the garden especially poignant, because He knew for all of eternity that this was coming and yet He went on. His love is so clear when we realize that. He finished His "task" even though it had cost Him separation from His father. Is there such love anywhere else?
I would add, though, that we too often ignore the fact that He strengthened His command about love. We are not only to love others as we love ourselves, but as He has love us. (John 15:12) What a challenge and what a reason to stay close to Him!
© 2013 Created by Chris Wynn.
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