Hurting Pastors and Shepherds

If you are responsible for the spiritual care of others, you know that the need never abates. Children don't take a break from needing to be fed, clothed, disciplined, loved, and otherwise poured into.

Sheep need care. Their care doesn't know anything about your need.

And so what do you do when folks need you to care for them and you are broken, hurting, and in great need yourself?

We think we know, don't we?
We will utter the words. We'll give mental ascent to the truth that we will have our needs met in Christ.

But how often do we avoid that place of need and grind on in numbness, too busy, too averse to the idea of sitting and being still in HIs presence?

Interestingly enough, we'll minister to others and urge them to do the thing we seem so loathe to do.

Be still. Trust Him and be still.

It is those very situations which we find impossible which He has arranged to highlight to us how much we need Him. He intends to display His power and wisdom and love in our darkest hour. We have to have a dark hour in order for that to happen.

Do those things you know you are responsible to do, Christian, and then when your strength fails to accomplish the task, when your wisdom fails to plot a course through the storm, when you cannot even see clearly enough to know what ultimate goal is the most loving and wise one... it is in that moment that we must rest in Jesus.

I am hurting right now. My strength is dried up. My wisdom is dumbfounded. And my notion of what ought to take place may very well be completely wrong.

And now, I rest in Christ and trust Him to work. His will be done. And I know true peace. I know that whatever happens, I won't regret trusting Him.

It's going to be beautiful.

I need only trust Him and wait. My rest and hope and joy is in Him.

Hi Joseph, I can relate to what you are talking about.
You expend yourself to the word and ministry. You need to encourage, but where does your encouragement come from?
Your well runs dry, and no one there to refresh you, because you are meant to give, give, give. Hardly a thank you or an appreciation for your service, because it is expected of you. When something is not to their expectation they are quick to criticize.

Paul the apostle gave so much. I some places he was surrounded by those who always take and never give. He knew that they would begrudge anything he takes, so he made a case by paying even for the meals he was invited to.

On the other hand he was always fond of being refreshed by others. He gladly received refreshment by younger, more immature brothers and sisters like Onesiphorus, Titus, Philemon, Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, Phoebe, Aquila and Priscilla and many others, even whole churches. In many places he expressed his gratitude for it. Romans 16 is full of it!

I think a couple of days in true brotherly spiritual fellowship made good for months of loneliness and hardship in Roman prisons.

I always pray for true spiritual fellowship. It is a rare commondity nowadays in our apostate times and especially during COVID19. We used to take fellowship for granted and made so little use of it, now we see what we are missing! Nothing on earth can substitute true spiritual fellowhip.

I know a guy who goes out for prayer walks in the wildernes when it is pitch dark outside because there is no distraction.

Psalm 63:1O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is