We serve a Benevolent God. He desires good, holy, and righteous things for us….even as we remain eternally unworthy of His Grace and Mercy. The Fruits of the Holy Spirit are, in fact, glimpses into the infinite “character” of God Himself…
“The fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.”
Because of “ Who” He is, “ What ” He is, and “How” He is…we can confidently place all our cares, concerns, and crises into His Compassionate Capable hands. Indeed, there is no greater Benefactor, Advocate and Comforter than Him. His care and concern for us surpasses our understanding. With our limited perspective, understanding and fickle faith, we of ten jettison these realities with stunning alacrity and frequency. All too of ten, we surrender to Anxiety, Fear and Depression as default modes, rather than as exceedingly rare moments of weakness. Anxiety and Depression are now viewed as commonplace conditions...inside the church. As if God suddenly became incredibly ineffective and inadequate for our critical needs in the 21st century. He has not.
“For I am the Lord, I do not change.”
How can we proclaim the Goodness of the Lord, and yet be so easily derailed by the normal trials and tribulations of this world? There is an element of desperation in us that betrays the Gospel we publicly profess. And the world is certainly watching. If God is All - Benevolent , why are we so of ten seeking solace and solutions outside of His economy?
Perhaps the greatest test we face is Death itself. God did not create us with Death in mind. That came on the scene because of Sin. And yet our same Benevolent God provides the cure…the remedy…the way out...
“For the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is Eternal Life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This “Gift”, from the hand of our Benevolent God, activates at the moment of Death. We understand this theologically and conceptually…but do we live today in that glorious Reality? The tragedy of Death has been erased for those in Christ. The Real Tragedy lay not with the deceased Believer…but upon the Surviving family. Those left behind. Indeed, the after-effects of Death moved the very Heart of Jesus…
“Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’ Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept.”
Jesus was not concerned about the Believer named Lazarus. Not in the least. Jesus was moved by the effect on the loved ones left behind. In His Benevolence, Jesus brought back Lazarus for the sake of others. Lazarus needed no Benevolence…his family did . And therein lay the greatest opportunity and privilege we have as believers. Not to merely “honor the dead” but, more importantly, to bless the living remnant.
Every year, this Ministry is faced with many desperate circumstances of our Pastors. Because we minister in slum areas, the realities of disease, dying and death abound. Truly abound. The situations and circumstances are simply beyond description. But I will provide one case in point as a template.
In the May newsletter, we briefly presented the account of Pastor Stephen and his wife Ruth . It was a mere snapshot. The “Real Story” is much deeper, wider, and tragic than can be conveyed in 1,000 words. The poignant fact is that Pastor Stephen died shortly after that newsletter was printed. I happened to arrive in Kenya just after his sudden and unexpected passing. After months of battling seizures, Pastor Stephen suffered a major stroke. He languished for a few weeks in the hospital, until the hospital mandated removal of his ventilator. After all the glorious healings and recovery this past year, it was a shock to all of us. Most of all to his wife Ruth…and their three young boys. But if the living witness of Pastor Stephen and Ruth taught me anything, it is this:
“Circumstances may change, but God does not. He is forever Benevolent.”
Therefore, I must be Benevolent as well. At DSM, we do not face these issues sporadically. But rather incessantly. In the first 4 months of this year, we faced the death of 5 of our Pastors. All have left behind a wife and children. Two to pedestrian/traffic accidents, two to cancer, and Pastor Stephen to a stroke. Five wives and 16 school age children remain behind. How do we best help? Should we even “help”? And if we do, what precedents and expectations are we launching? Can we sustain it? Should we? When does Benevolence become a diversion from the clear mandate to provide free Bible Schools for slum Pastors? What happens to the very limited resources we have on hand? These are not laments. These are the harsh Realities of Benevolence in slum communities.
These are not new issues for us. Marcia and I have been immersed in them for 23+ years. And we still don’t have it figured out to our satisfaction. Regardless of what we “do” regarding Benevolence, we inevitably feel we have either done too little or too much. That is our natural reaction. But spiritually, we feel that God has given us the perfect way forward: never give Prayerlessly or Carelessly. We seek Him every time. As if it is the first time. As if our Christian witness and testimony depend upon it. Because it does.
The world is watching. We need to keep our witness righteous. At the same time, we are not to be man- pleasers in our Benevolence. But rather God-pleasers. We are not to be social workers…but Christians. And this requires us to obey the directives that God gives us….not that Circumstances seemingly dictate. We are not to be dictated to: not by others, not by what we see, not by logic, rationale, culture, compulsion, or convictions. And therein comes the Discipline of Prayer…at the feet of Jesus. The same Jesus that wept in the presence of Mary, regarding the death of Lazarus.
If you are led to Give for the quiet Benevolence efforts of this ministry, you are free to do so. We have a separate fund set up for such circumstances. Just attach a note saying “Benevolence”, or send an email, or call us. It’s that easy. Your gift will surely be distributed as Benevolence, but we may share part of any specified gift (i.e. for a particular person or issue) with more desperate Benevolence needs that you are not aware of. Kindly allow us that flexibility based upon ever changing Benevolence needs… and our own Prayerful consultation with the Holy Spirit.
In closing, let’s remember the burden of Pastor Stephen as he discussed his progressing infirmities….
“I had nowhere to turn except to God. There was simply no one and nothing we could do to fix this. My greatest burden was knowing my wife and children were hungry. And I was as well. And I could do nothing about any of it.”
It caused me to pause then. And now causes me to consider again…and ever more soberly…
“God, what would you have me to do?”
And that, by His Benevolent Grace, we shall do.
