Message: “Praying Through Pain” from Dr. Rick Mandl

Message: “Praying Through Pain” from Dr. Rick Mandl

Dr. Rick Mandl - May 30, 2020

Praying Through Pain

Sermon Manuscript: Anxious For Nothing Message 2- Praying Through The Pain
Sermon preached by Dr. Rick Mandl, Eagle Rock Baptist Church, May 30 & 31, 2020
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.

 

I want to say welcome to each one of you, wherever you are and however you may be watching. It’s great to be with you as we gather together for worship. I don’t know if you’ve been following the news over this past week, as it relates to churches reopening in California. But on that subject, I’ve got some good news for you, and that good news is… We never closed. Even though the current pandemic required us, for safety sake, for a little while, to put our public gatherings on hold, the church never stopped being the church. We continued to gather-together, except we did it online rather than in person. We continued to care for one another. To pray for one another. To encourage one another. We continued to reach out to the community around us. To feed the hungry. To support missionaries who are taking the good news to those that we, ourselves aren’t able to reach. But over the past weeks, churches in other parts of our country, and now in California, have begun to reopen and meet in person for worship services. And people are understandably asking “How does this effect us?”

 

Again, as you know up until now there have been six opportunities for you to connect with us for worship each week. We have been live-streaming services out to you 6 times each week. . . Sat. 5:30, Sunday at 9:00, 11:00, 1:00, 6:00, Wednesday at 7:00PM. That is not going to change. We will still livestream six services every week. What is going to change, is that beginning next Sunday, June 7… Instead of six ways to connect with us each week, we’re offering a seventh. We will have one live gathering here on our property, Sunday mornings at 11:00AM.

 

What will this gathering be like? It will just like the gatherings we’ve always had, only different. Sunday June 7th 11:00AM Worship In Person. Let me share with you some of the differences. One difference is . . . RSVP service. What that means is we want you to let us know if you’re planning to attend. Multiple ways to do that (Connection Card, Email, Text). If you fall within any of the demographics particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, we encourage you to continue worshipping along with us online through our regular streaming services. But if you are planning on being with us, because we have a maximum occupancy of 100 people we’re asking you to let us know how many will be worshipping with you. And we’ll ask you to check-in when you arrive, so that we can make sure we observe that 100 worshiper max. Erock Kids & Student Ministry will not be meeting at this time as we’re encouraging families to worship together. The family room will not be open as it is not conducive to safe social distancing. This will be a No touch service. No offering buckets will be passed. Instead, you can give online or utilize the giving boxes in the back of the auditorium. Service of snacks and refreshments has been suspended at this time. Use Common Sense. Stay at home if you or someone in your home is sick or is experiencing coughing, shortness of breath, or fever (100 F or 37.8 C).  Take your temperature before attending and be assured that all of our staff and volunteers will be doing the same.

 

Maintain Social Distancing. In the parking lot that will mean utilizing every other parking space. In the patio and worship center we’ll make that really obvious, by marking things off. We’ll be making use of one entrance to the WC through the patio. And asking you to refrain from hugs, kisses, high-fives or handshakes. Someone asked, can we do elbow bumps? The answer is, as long as you can do it without getting closer than six feet to one another, then by all means, go for it. We’re asking you to sanitize your hands prior to entering the worship center and to... One last thing. . . This is a Masks Required Service. We’re asking that you wear a mask at all times while on campus. No one over the age of 2 will be admitted into the worship center without a mask. If you are unable to wear a mask, we ask that you continue to worship online until that recommendation has been lifted.

 

For us this is not a political thing, this is a human-kindness thing. This is a love your neighbor thing. This is a lay down your rights for the other person thing. And to give you a couple of verses of scripture on this, I’d point you to 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 and it says this. . . . “You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’— (The answer to that is) but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything’— (The answer to that is) but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24). And so for that reason we’re making the 11:00AM service beginning next Sunday . . . Masks Required Service.

 

There is conflicting information as to how much good wearing a mask does, when it comes to protection from this virus. But I can guarantee you one thing. And that is, whether or not it protects you, it will protect others. If not from the virus, then from what we’re talking about today which is . . . ANXIETY. If you don’t believe me, just walk into a store and watch what happens as soon as someone begins to cough. If you’ve seen it, you know what happens. The people around them will scatter in all directions. And it’s that ANXIETY that we’re talking about today as we continue the series we’ve been in called “Anxious for Nothing.”

 

It was good to hear from a number of you this week about how you have already applied the lessons we looked at last week, and I was impressed by those of you who are memorizing our anchor passage for this series that comes from Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Anxiety is a very real and growing problem for a lot of us in our society. The Washington Post ran a news brief with this information this past Wednesday, “A third of Americans are showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression, the most definitive and alarming sign yet of the psychological toll exacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Let me ask you to pause for just a moment and let that information sink in . . . A third of Americans . . . One out of every three of us, are showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression. And in case you’re wondering, that is a huge jump from what those numbers were before the pandemic.

 

Some of that is directly anxiety is related to the pandemic, some of it is related to financial issues due to job loss or business closures, some of it is related to working from home, or having children at home doing online instruction. But many in our society also face anxiety due to things that have nothing to do with Coronavirus. They face anxiety because of systemic issues of poverty, injustice, and racism. We’ve seen another example of that this past week. We live in a broken world, and as believers we are called both to pray, and to work for justice and reconciliation. Let’s pray together right now. Father, your word tells us that what you require of us is to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. We confess that we often fall short of those requirements. Forgive us for those times we have turned a blind eye to injustice. Forgive us for those times we have failed to extend mercy. Forgive us for those times when we have felt, thought, or acted as if we are superior to others. Help us to be men and women who work toward reconciliation. We pray for the family and friends of George Floyd. We pray that you would bring comfort to them and to their community. We pray for our brothers and sisters who live in fear because of the color of their skin, or their country of origin. We pray for healing in our land. Help us to be your hands and feet in that process. Father, we long for that day when your kingdom will come in its fullness, and there will no longer be hatred, or death, or sorrow, or pain. Until then, may we be people whose lives are characterized by love for you, love for our neighbors, love for those who are different than we are, love for the least of these, and love for our enemies so that the world will know that we are your children. In Jesus' Name, Amen

 

I know that some of us have come to church today in pain. Some of us wrestle with Physical pain. Some with Emotional pain. Some with Spiritual pain. Some with Relational pain. We wake up in pain, We go through our day in pain, And we go to bed at night in pain. So what do we do about it? Today I want us to look at three individuals in the Bible who were in pain, and see what we can learn from their example.

 

First, when we are in pain we should go to the Lord. 1 Samuel chapter 1 gives us the account of a woman named Hannah who did just that. Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah. Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninah, but Hannah was his favorite. Peninah had children but Hannah had been unable to conceive. This caused her a great deal of distress and anguish, especially because her husbands other wife, Peninah, would repeatedly taunt her about it. One day, when Elkanah had taken his family to offer a sacrifice at the house of the Lord, and Peninah was provoking and berating Hannah, Hannah broke down. She was so distressed she couldn’t eat. Her husband, compassionate fellow that he was, tried to console her by saying, “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” In other words, “You have me, what more could you possibly need or want?” That sounds like something I might say!

 

Hannah went to the temple, and prayed in the presence of Eli the priest. Let’s read what happened in 1 Samuel 1. “In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’ As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli (the priest) observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, ‘How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.’ 15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

 

According to Hannah, she was in misery, deeply troubled, in anguish and grief, and so she poured out her soul to the Lord. And that is exactly what we should do when we are in pain. James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray.” Sometimes when we are in pain, we have a tendency to pull away from God, but it’s at times like that, that we need to do exactly the opposite. We need to draw near, just as the writer of the book of Hebrews encourages us to do. “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrews 4:16.

 

Hannah is an example of someone who took her pain to God. She poured out her heart to Him. We should do the same. I would encourage you to read the rest of Hannah’s story this week. It is found in 1 Samuel 1 & 2. When we are in pain we should go to the Lord. We should also go to the Lord recognizing that His purposes are higher than ours. Recognizing that His purposes are higher than ours. Nowhere is this seen more clearly than when Jesus prayed right before going to the cross. Let’s read the account in Matthew 26. Beginning at verse 36 we read, "Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.'" Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.' Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. 'Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?' he asked Peter. 'Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.' He went away a second time and prayed, 'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.' When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.”

 

Here we see Jesus in the garden just before His arrest, which would lead to His crucifixion. He describes Himself as “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” He knows what is coming. He knows the pain that is going to be involved. And He pleads with His Father, “If there’s any other way, take this cup of suffering away from me.” Three times He prayed the same prayer, and three times He ended with “Your will be done.” Jesus realized that God may have a higher purpose for our pain. In Jesus’ case, that purpose was our salvation. We see this same principle, of God’s higher purpose, illustrated in the life of the man born blind whose story is recorded in John 9. Jesus, and His disciples were walking along and they passed a man who had been born blind. The disciples asked Jesus, “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” Jesus answered them and said. “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” ... “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” In other words, God has purposes that are higher than ours.

 

We see this same truth in Isaiah 55:8-9, where God speaking through the prophet says. . . “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” You see, God operates on a different value system than we do: We value comfort - God values character. We value protection - God values holiness. We value understanding - God values trust. We value ease - God values His glory. And all these things which God values, are most often developed through pain.

 

Paul wrote about this in Romans chapter 5 – he said . . . We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Jay and Katharine Wolf have learned first-hand the power of hope in dealing with pain. Let’s watch a little bit of their story. (video here)

 

The Wolfs have made it their purpose, to share God’s message of hope, through their ministry Hope Heals. They have said, not our will, but yours be done, And in His will, God has used them to minister to thousands of people. Recognizing that God’s purposes are higher than ours, Katherine has said, “This chair is my privilege because this chair has become my platform.” When we are in pain. . . We should go to God remembering that His purposes are higher than ours. We should also be confident that His grace is sufficient for our pain.

 

The Apostle Paul discovered this. Listen to his testimony from 2 Corinthians 12 in the Message Paraphrase, “Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."

           

We don’t know what the cause of Paul’s pain and suffering was, although scholars have speculated about a number of possibilities. I don’t think it really is all that important, in fact, I think it’s better that we don’t know so that we can apply this principle broadly to our lives rather than feeling that it only applies to a specific and limited circumstance. The principle that God revealed to Paul was that God’s grace was sufficient for Him and it is enough to help us deal with whatever pain we are facing. The grace of salvation - which guarantees us an eternity free from pain. The grace of His Word - which reveals His character and His promises. The grace of His comfort - which allows us to comfort others. The grace of His presence - which assures us we are never alone. The grace of His people - which gives us encouragement and practical help.

 

If you are in pain today… Go to God, pour out your soul like Hannah. Go to God recognizing that His purposes are often higher than ours - like Jesus, have a “Thy will be done” attitude. Go to God confident that His grace is enough - and if you don’t have that confidence, ask God to give it to you, ask Him to make you aware of the grace He has surrounded you with. God loves you. He is with you. He knows your pain and He says,  “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Let’s come to Him right now.

 

Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.

 

 

           

From Series: "Anxious For Nothing"

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