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God’s Healing for Life’s Losses

God’s Healing for Life’s Losses. There Is Hope in the Midst of Hurt John 16:33. The Big Picture: Creative Suffering. “There is no human experience which cannot be put on the anvil of a lively relationship with God and man, and battered into a meaningful shape.”.

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God’s Healing for Life’s Losses

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  1. God’s Healing for Life’s Losses

  2. There Is Hope in the Midst of Hurt • John 16:33

  3. The Big Picture: Creative Suffering • “There is no human experience which cannot be put on the anvil of a lively relationship with God and man, and battered into a meaningful shape.”

  4. “I have been determined in captivity, and still am determined, to convert this experience into something that will be useful and good for other people. I think that’s the way to approach suffering. . . .

  5. “. . . . It seems to me that Christianity doesn’t in any way lessen suffering. What it does is enable you to take it, face it, to work through it and eventually convert it.”

  6. The Big Question • In your life, how has God put your suffering on the anvil of a lively relationship with Himself and others and battered it into shape? • In the lives of people you minister to, how do you work with them and Christ to convert their suffering into something useful and good?

  7. Our Journey: The Way of Suffering • Level One Suffering: What Happens To Us—“We live in a fallen world and it often falls on us.” • Level Two Suffering: What Happens In Us—“Our world is a mess and it messes with our minds.”

  8. The World’s Way • Denial: “No, not me.” • Anger: “Why me?” • Bargaining: “I’ll be a good me. Be good to me.” • Depression: “Yes me. I’m sad. I feel hopeless.” • Acceptance: “What’s next for me?”

  9. The Word’s Way • “In suffering, God is not getting back at you; He is getting you back to Himself.”

  10. The Word’s Way Sustaining in Suffering “It’s Natural to Hurt and Necessary to Grieve.” Stage Typical Biblical Grief Response Stage 1: Denial Candor: Honest with Self Stage 2: Anger Complaint: Honest to God Stage 3: Bargaining Cry: Asking God for Help Stage 4: Depression Comfort: Receiving God’s Help/Care

  11. Biblical Sufferology Healing in Suffering “It’s Supernatural to Hope in the Midst of Grief.” Stage Typical Biblical Acceptance Response Stage 5: Regrouping Waiting: Trusting with Faith Stage 6: Deadening Wailing: Groaning with Hope Stage 7: Doubting Weaving: Perceiving with Grace Stage 8: Digging Worshipping: Engaging with Love Cisterns

  12. “Stages”???

  13. Launching Your Journey of Grief • Sustaining: 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 • “Climbing in the Casket” “Shared sorrow is endurable sorrow” (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).

  14. Candor: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn 1. Denial: Shock and Awe 2. Candor: Telling Yourself the Truth • Candor is courageous truth telling about life to myself in which I come face-to-face with the reality of external and internal suffering. 3. My Personal Candor Journey

  15. Candor 4. Biblical Candor Samplers • Psalm 42:3-5 • Job, Jeremiah, Solomon, Asaph, Heman, Jesus, Paul • 1 Thessalonians 4:13 • No Grieving; No Healing. Know Grieving; Know Healing. • Candor Is Our Decision to Step on the Mats!

  16. On the Road to Hope: Your Candor Journey • God gives you and others permission to grieve.

  17. Complaint: A Lament for Your Loss 1. Anger: Cursing that Pushes Away 2. Complaint: Telling God the Truth • Complaint is vulnerable frankness about life to God in which I express my pain and confusion over how a good God allows evil and suffering.

  18. Complaint/Lament 3. My Personal Complaint/Lament Journey 4. Biblical Complaint Samplers • Psalm 62:8 • Psalm 73 • Jeremiah 20:7 • Lam. 5:20; Psalm 13:1 • Psalm 88:18 • Job 3:23-26 • To diminish suffering is to refuse to need God!

  19. On the Road to Hope: Your Complaint/Lament Journey • Trust that because God is all-powerful and all-caring that He can handle everything in your heart.

  20. Inviting God to Join Your Journey Cry: I Surrender All 1. Bargaining/Works: A Tit-for-Tat God 2. Cry: Asking God for Help • Cry is a faith-based plea for mobilization in which I humbly ask God for help based upon my admission that I can’t survive without Him.

  21. Crying Out to God 3. My Personal Crying Out to God Journey 4. Biblical Crying Out to God Samplers • Psalm 56:8 • Psalm 72:12-14 • Psalm 34:17-18 • 1 Samuel 30:4-6 • Crying out to God empties us so there is more room in us for God. • Suffering is God’s primary way of uprooting our self-reliance.

  22. On the Road to Hope: Your Crying Out to God Journey • Loss is a choice-point: Will I manipulate God or will I surrender to God?

  23. Comfort: God Comes 1. Depression/Alienation: Grief without Hope • If God allowed work to work, no one would ever surrender to God. 2. Comfort: Surviving Scars • History • Co-Fortitude • Comfort /communion experiences the presence of God in the presence of suffering—a presence that empowers me to survive scars and plants the seeds of hope that I may yet thrive.

  24. Comfort 3. My Personal Comfort Journey 4. Biblical Comfort Samplers • Genesis 32-33 • Psalm 73:21-28 • Isaiah 63:9 • 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 • Faith does not demand the removal of suffering; faith desires endurance in suffering. • What can’t be cured, can be endured.

  25. On the Road to Hope: Your Comfort Journey • God’s empathizing and empowering presence strengthens us in our weakness.

  26. Deepening Your Journey During the Dark Night of the Soul • Healing: 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 • “CelebratingtheResurrection” • Sustaining: “Life IsBad.” Smaller,EarthlyStory. • Healing: “GodIsGood.” Larger,HeavenlyStory.

  27. Deepening Your Journey During the Dark Night of the Soul • “Acceptance” is a faith-point: Will I rely upon “self-resurrection” or on the God who raises the dead?

  28. Waiting: When God Says, “Not Yet” 1. Regrouping: Immediate Gratification • Regrouping: Attempting to make life work on my terms,in my timing, in my power, for my good. • Regrouping: Demanding that God immediately fix my feelings, change my circumstances,and judge myenemies!

  29. Waiting: When God Says, “Not Yet” 2.Waiting: Refusing to Demand Heaven Now • Waiting: Refusing to takeoverwhile refusing to giveup. • Waiting: Trusting God’s timingas I rely upon Christ’s resurrection power to change my heartas I humbly hope for fixed feelings,changed circumstances,and repentant wounders. • Hopewaits: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

  30. Waiting: When God Says, “Not Yet” 3. Tim and Terri’s Waiting Journey 4. Biblical Waiting Samplers • OT Prophets: Better Day Is Coming…Later • Purpose for Suffering—Christlikeness: Romans 5; James 1; 1 Peter 1-2; Hebrews 11 • Hebrews 11:24-26; Romans 8:17-18

  31. On the Road to Hope Your Waiting Journey • Waiting on God’s timing to change my outer circumstances,while depending on God’s Spirit to change my inner person.

  32. Wailing: Pregnant with Hope 1. Deadening: “Don’t Get My Hopes Up!” 2.Wailing: Groaning with Hope • Wailing islongingfervently for heaven andliving passionatelyfor God and others while still on earth. • Philippians 1:23-25 • Wailing is grieving the “Not yet.” • “I ache for Paradise, but I’m pulling weeds East of Eden until the day I die!”

  33. Wailing: Pregnant with Hope 3. Tim and Terri’s Wailing Journey 4. Biblical Wailing Samplers • Romans 8:17-25 • Frustration: Vanity • Eager Waiting: Desperate Desire • Pregnant Labor for a Lifetime! • Pregnant with Hope

  34. Wailing: Pregnant with Hope 4. Biblical Wailing Samplers • Romans 8:28-39—Thriving: Nikao/Nike/Victorious!

  35. On the Road to Hope Your Wailing Journey • Wailing makes us so heavenly-minded that we are of great earthlygood.

  36. Traveling with God Weaving: Spiritual Mathematics 1. Despairing: The Negative of Hope 2. Weaving: Perceiving with Grace/Higher Plan • Weaving isentrustingmyself to God’s largerpurposes,goodplans,and eternalperspective. • Weaving perceives suffering not with rose-colored glasses, but with faith-eyes, with cross-eyes, with 20/20 spiritual vision.

  37. Weaving: Spiritual Mathematics 3. Tim and Terri’s Weaving Journey 4. Biblical Weaving Samplers • John 14; Eph. 3; Col. 3; Heb. 11; Rev. 19-22 • Genesis 50:20 • Genesis 45:5-8 • Romans 8:17-18 • “Instead of our perspective shrinking, suffering is the exact time we must listen most closely, when we must lean over to hear the whisper of God.”

  38. On the Road to Hope Your Weaving Journey • God’s healingstory does not erasemy painfulstory; it gives it eternal meaning/purpose.

  39. Worshipping: Finding God • Digging Cisterns: Jeremiah 2:13 • We are worshippingbeings. • Lossdrives us to our true lover! 2. Worshipping: Glimpsing the Face of God • Worship is wantingGodmore than wantingrelief. • Worship is findingGod even when you don’t findanswers.

  40. Worshipping: Finding God 3. Tim and Terri’s Worshipping Journey 4. Biblical Worshipping Samplers • Psalm 73:25 • Psalm 42:1-2 • 1 Peter 1:6, 8 • Philippians 3:8, 10 • Be Still My Soul

  41. On the Road to Hope Your Worshipping Journey • Loss exposes whether we love the gift or the Giver.

  42. The Rest of the Story: The Promise of a Lifetime • Rev. 7:17; 21:4; 1 Cor. 15:55; 15:58 • Reading the End of the Story • Knowing the rest of the story provides rest for your soul. • Jesus Is on the Move: Matthew 11:28

  43. The Rest of Your Story • Of everything we explored today, what is most impactful for your personal life? • Of everything we explored today, what will most impact your ministry to others?

  44. God’s Healing for Life’s Losses

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