“5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”

Acts 18:5-11

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What a wonderful message for Paul to receive!

“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you…”

I think we could all stand to be reminded of that crystal clear message. God has given us each a purpose, a deep, bigger-than-us, meaning for life and He confirms that by being present with us through it all. When we try to stand on our own, using our own strength, being ‘persuasive’ with our own wits, and trying to reason things out by our own ‘wisdom’ we are going to find futility, sorrow and disappointment.

But when we find ourselves occupied with the Word, trusting in God, then we will see with new eyes and find a beautiful vista laid out before us. It’s not an easy one to traverse, but it is certain. The goal is Christ, the path is Christ and the Word stands as our sign posts along the way as the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom to comprehend the journey, step-by-step.

Sometimes the Gospel is presented once and 3000 people come. Sometimes it is through the plodding of the days, weeks, months and years that we see its seed planted, watered and harvested. Either way, we find our contentment in doing that work, trusting the Master’s hand. Summits a season will come to a close, and we go on to speak to others who want to hear, who want to experience wha God is leading them to do. Sometimes it is a journey that does not move locations, but rather takes place over time in one, single place. And for us, the servants, it is not to say where the work needs to be done. We trust in the Master, and we listen to His voice. We trust that He is with us in the easy times and in the difficult. He has promised us that He would be with us, and so we must rest in that faith He has given us.

I would love to tell everyone that ministry is easy, and always trimmed out with joys. But in reality, it is difficult. There is heartbreak. The struggle with sin becomes burdensome when you want to flip a switch in someone’s head and heart that won’t be flipped by any power I can muster. We learn to wait, we learn to trust and we seek out God’s will in the fun and in the perilous times.

Our joy then comes from His presence. Our hope is manifested in Him. Our weaknesses shout out our need for Him and in those moments, where we feel His hand leading us through situations that we would never have thought we could face, we find true contentment and peace. As we GoLove others in His Name, in His power and according to His will, we will find that joy and contentment only in Him. Seek His face.