Difficult but Doable

It was nearly 40 years ago, doing some collaborative sermon prep with my friends Tony and Ronnie, when I was first really confronted with 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 and its relationship to the life of a minister. 

“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…”

Paul isn't simply venting. The Holy Spirit preserved these words because every generation of servants would need them. I think Inspiration recorded this for you and me. For generations, this verse has ministered to ministers in pain.

It would be easy to think Paul is on a sermonic device of repetition with his “afflicted, but not, perplexed, but not, persecuted, but not, struck down, but not.”  But look deeper. Each of these has an individual weight and force that might press us out of ministry and most in ministry will at some point experience each of these.

Afflicted: the pressures of life. Think: Physical suffering, financial strain that many ministers know well, family or relational stresses, responsibilities the never ending To Do List. 

Perplexed: the puzzles of life. Ministry situations that don't make sense. Questions we can't answer. An uncertain future. Waiting on God when He seems silent.

Persecuted: the persecutions of life. Maybe: Criticism for following Christ, rejection, especially when it comes from people we never imagined would wound us, unfair treatment.

Struck Down: the painful blows of life. Personal failure, loss and grief, exhaustion. 

Yes, Paul lived where we live, and God knew we would too. The pressures are real. The puzzles are real. The opposition is real. The blows are real. But so is the God who refuses to abandon His servants. We may be jars of clay (v 7), but the treasure we carry is stronger than the vessel that carries it. So whatever this week brings, remember: you are never carrying the ministry alone.