I love Women’s Ministry!!
I love leading Bible studies and seeing the light bulb go on in a woman’s eyes when she really gets it; when she understands that the Word of God is personal and practical and pertinent. I love helping to make programs available to women—programs that are designed to encourage their fellowship and deepen their faith. I love teaching from God’s Word and sharing how it has impacted my life. I am especially delighted when the men who cruise around the lives of women fall deeper in love with Jesus because of something that took place through Women’s Ministry. I love Women’s Ministry and it is my pure pleasure to serve women in several capacities.
What I do not love is when Satan starts messing with my ladies. It makes me mad and it causes me to storm the gates of heaven with prayers directed full throttle at the throne of God on behalf of my ladies. It seems as though Satan has applied for and obtained permission to be especially obnoxious of late.
Currently I have honor of walking beside a few ladies who are experiencing a season of unparalleled brokenness in their lives. I am not talking about day to day aggravations and I am not talking about young women, but rather precious senior adults enduring hideous situations. I’m talking about life altering, devastating circumstances that may forever change their sweet lives, and if Satan has his way, will out and out destroy them.
I love these ladies with all my heart and would do anything in the world to remove their suffering. However, I cannot and at least, at this point, it seems that God will not. So, what do I say? What do I do? AND—perish the thought, what if it were me going through something like that?
I have nothing in my background that would even begin to give me a reference point for what some of these ladies are going through. How do you minister to a woman when you have no experience to parallel her own? I certainly am not begging the Lord to send me a ‘furnace’ season in order that I may understand what they are going through. On the other hand, I do not want to lapse into pat, Christian answers that give the impression that they just need to boost up their faith a bit and everything will be ok. That is so wrong. SO WRONG!!
So, I tell them I love them and that I am bringing them and their situation before the One who can and will walk beside them through their storm. I use cards, letters, emails, and phone calls to remind them that I love them and have not forgotten about their warfare. Daily I ask El Shaddai, the All Sufficient One, to be that and so much more for them. I beg Him to work quickly in their situations, knowing that sometimes His definition of ‘quickly’ and mine are vastly different. I ask Him to use me in whatever way He will to bring my friends comfort and peace. Finally, I ask Him to give me the grace to stay faithful to Him, when and if the time comes that He gives Satan the ‘ok’ to crank up the heat in my own life.
I would so appreciate your prayers for my precious friends.
