God’s Work Through Our Pain

Okay today we get to talk about one of our favorite topics effects of fun things we love to go through in life and marriage know what it is. Variation not really sometimes feels like a vacation know it's it's a topic nobody really wants to talk about and it's hard it's pain, weight, you just said sometimes it feels like a vacation. I read your vacation from your normal life. But it's not good to break in. When you go through pain or hardship or a hard day. It's something we all want to avoid. We all run from it and were fearful of it because we don't know. Find at all the time. Welcome to family life today where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most and Wilson Dave Wilson and you can find us@familylifetoday.com or on our family life. This is family life today, and yet it's a part of life. Every single person will go through hardship with some time. Some of you going through it right now in the question.

When you go through it is worse got yeah and so we decided as we get a chance to speak on the love like you mean it. Virtual cruise which means this wasn't a cruise on a real boat on oh a body of water like normal. This 2021 cruise was virtual because a coven and we are asked to speak about anything we wanted and we decide you know this is been one of the hardest years for all of us. We go through a lot of pain.

Let's talk about where God is in the middle of the pain and this is the second part of the message that we've already been listening to this week and so working to kind of get into the nuts and bolts of the how to use in this part. Yet in the first part we just basically open the question of where is God, and walk you through a passage in the Old Testament where God shows up in a valley literally in a valley and sort of surprisingly but he shows up and reminds Elijah that he's right there and he's gonna remind us the same thing he's with us he's in it and he actually uses the Valley uses our pain to do some of his best work.

I found out a few taking notes at all. But please at least remember this the big idea the big truth that we will leave with you is right here. God often does his best work in the Valley.

God often does his best work in your life and my life in your marriage and my marriage is were in when were in a dark place, as when were in the Valley. It's like we don't think he's there. We don't think he's at work now she's doing some of his very best work in us in the darkest parts of our life. Greatest growth many times comes from the driest seasons our kids have little kids right now in your marriage. Our grandkids and their feeling like this is not hard to see then likely we have no time allowing our marriage. It's hard drive spiritually because we have no time about what we been there and it is why I think you are so needy for Jesus there talking to them all day long all the time like really telling that these are means this is happening here is bringing me a couple points under that big idea big idea again is a God does his best work, often in our Valley. But here's a couple thoughts about pain in our lives because were all experiencing some of that right now different levels are pain invites his presence are pain invites his presence. We often think in our pain. God has left us guys that we don't feel got there he is and see that the truth is, we can tell story after story, this being real in our lives when ancestor died horrible.

It was so hard and it felt so empty right and yet felt distant yet there is another part that I needed them. So desperately that I felt like times like I can almost feel his breath on my face. How desperate I was for him and for any home and we reminded us recently.

Some of you heard us talk about this if you listen to a something like today on the podcast or Friday with the Wilson's, but this amazing thing took place in our life and we realize he's doing this even in young people around us.

It wasn't crazy Saturday afternoon. A lot of things were going on that we didn't plan or expect. I was in a place that I never expected to be parked in a parking lot nation of Bennion, but when I would got in my car I noticed a while on the ground. I picked it up, I noticed it had $250 in it.

I noticed I was in a college campus I noticed was a student that went to school there and so I had bench credit cards.

I thought I need to somehow find this guy and Intel and have as well so I end up going to assist social media can't get in and somehow I find his phone number and I complimented save me, you looking for this everywhere I cannot believe it and say just come and pick it as I was in the same room at this point and I hear her call this guy.

She told me when I walked in the house he found his wallet so I hear her say here's her address, and I'm thinking you have a perfect stranger. You and I visited Georgia, you can have some kid you don't know Schober house. Why don't we meet him and I guess they just don't know he's you show up and then she says to me I will get in the kitchen. She has all these chocolate chip cookies he goes on Antonia God's and this what I think Johnson is I feel like giving these chocolate you like.

I was like, whatever. I would back in his chair watching college football.

I was like I'm telling you this is going to be something where God wants this guy at our house. He got man. I go to the door he shows will send my DU to go to go to your church is Dave here in the family room. I go in days thinking and feelings now in the kitchen past or future. Since I was a little kid. This is happening somewhere like what's going on warily initiated extenders are talking to us. I get to get really emotional song like this is a big deal. I gotta be honest as I watch it I like no hands writing good guys in this you know so anyway I just look at it when I say do what's going on and he just looks at us and I bet your church since my parents got married in your church.

I found out later he Texas later said you know you married my parents 26 years ago because I knew I knew his last name, and anyway he said just look at us, he goes I've lost my faith with GoToMeeting as I'm a senior in college and get ready to graduate and go on with my life and I realize my faith is the point where I don't even know if I believe basically just told God I don't even know if it's true. So if it is true. You have to show me something you can do something to show me if this is real ghost doing this. As I looked at Dave and Dave has tears, like tears are coming down his face, and our sin at the front door and the reason I teared up as I'm looking at this young boy, he has no idea what all happened that morning to put in the parking lot where she came to watch me and my son throw football and train these guys and were sold for this field so all the circumstances ended up in a weird way that Indians of knowing that is insane or look at this young man in this wallet and think and look at how God brought a lost wallet and a young man searching for his face to two people to take him meant that God sees him in the middle of the struggle to find his faith and knows him and cares about them enough to put that together and I just hit me is like oh my goodness. God is in the Senate, reminding the award try to communicate to you which we've had to learn over and over again in the Valley. God sees you.

He knows you and is at work he does his best work in the Valley and he actually you are pain invites him his presence into the sky was calling out to God, this is it. I need you and I need to know that you're here, and it was so funny and I said this to be about Jesus dispelling you know he loves you and sees you as it makes it a sort of a the next step is. If our pain invites guys present. Don't don't. Mrs. I just wrote. We just wrote down this way God can use our pain to help others God Ken, I guess he's gonna he can't.

If we letter I can use RP to help others… If we letter it's really sort up to us if we allow God to use what we've gone through is a struggle to help others. I mean think about that you know many of you know, our 10 year anniversary store that was in the art of marriage and led to our book vertical marriage. The whole book the whole story is about one of the darkest Valley moments in our marriage. When went and system in our 10 year anniversary of lost my feelings for you. I know you've heard the story, but I know if you understand she we were almost done were not sitting here today if she leaves, and in that moment when God shows up and sorted as a miracle.

Even our car as I realize this isn't just about us. This is about my relation with God and our relation with God. God meets us and they didn't change our marriage overnight but we were we were going one way I like. We need to go back toward God and put our eyes and hope in him and now he's using that story, which was very painful for us to help others because we letting you know what truly exchanges years ago I was going for back surgery and I've had some you probably know, the sciatica should know my left leg that was so so people won't get into. I could stay. I couldn't sit. I thought this for five years on and off and I went to the surgeon. He says we gotta get the surgery done in long story short, get ready for the surgery several months after my last appointment with him because he's the best in the Midwest and I couldn't get in it as I go in for the surgery. I'm completely pain-free by this point and so I get there. The nurses made you look great. I feel as I feel great, but you know what this keeps coming back. I'm going to go through with this.

Let's go and so on. There forget this. The doctor comes in. They forget me I beat up were headed down to the OR any says hey you know, Sue, my nurse is you feel great out if you said doc I feel great, but were doing the surgery because you and I both know it's coming back was going to go to Ellis plus test and see how well you're doing and so does a select test to see if I've strengthened his leg and he does this he takes his gloves off and goes go about doing the surgery.

Like when he mean he goes I don't always happen.

It's a miracle I if that's what you want to call but your disk is no longer in your sciatic nerve. I'm not touching that you're healed go home like he comes out.

He's like so excited and eaten all day, so is like where to go out for breakfast yes; buddies I say I'm supposed to be off work. First let me get this to get gas anyway, long story shorter, sit in the back having distances. This is this is awesome like Nick from imprint from Eric about getting Rex worsen the back of this restaurant and is partly by their but this Detroit Pistons player walks in and I don't know him but I will try and tallies in the NBA's one in MB a couple antiaging ships in Detroit back in the late 80s and I seem sit down and he waves at me now or in the back of the restaurants on thinking he's not waving me. I don't know know me, I would like is a way that there's a wall behind me so I went back and he just smiles and I said, because now so anyway a few minutes later, as were leaving the restaurant. He and his wife are sitting right in front door and I walk up and I stop as they want to go. He did we know each other and goes to my pastor or church under CR church is waxy sit in the video overflow room is very big man and it's hard to sit in the seats and people know me and I just like to say sort of private but my pastor and then he starts to get teary I look over and his wife is in tears. And trust me, this does not happen everyday in the Wilson's life. These two stories, but I look at my go.

So what's going on and here's what they said I'll never forget this. He goes well.

My wife and I are right now decide if we should get a divorce. We been driving around all morning trying to decide if we should get a divorce and we just prayed and said God we need to sign if you want to say together because we walk in here and you're sitting there your that sign.

We need to stay together that hears again.

The amazing thing he has no idea that that very second. I'm supposed be under the knife that I die, I thought the miracles from each other. This whole thing was about a while ago I got I don't even I don't think it was even about me. It's like God use that moment in there and they're still married. This is over a decade later send them it was that was assigned to them that God sees them.

God is with them. God can sustain them guy can even do a miracle in his own ears amazing thing.

A year later I had back surgery. They came back I had to have it done and so did even the miracle was just it was a moment in life. And here's the thing, God will use your pain to help others if you let and I would say the truth is he wants to use your pain to help others. It's really true because he wants to meet you there. You know how we meet you there to help others if fishing at our church. We have a saying sorted in the in the green room that we remind each other of in the same basically we actually have it written and hangs our waltzes. This never underestimate the pain in the room, which is to remind ourselves, as were walking on stage and were to speak the word of God over our congregation.

Never underestimate their people sitting out there that looks fine. They put it all on. They say the right things and they walk in and you think they're fine and yet there's a lot of pain in the room. Never forget that I'll never forget my younger son Cody was a copastor with me for less arrears or church in a few months ago he was on stage preaching and yellow these moments when your kids say something that you go.

Oh my goodness and write this down. Cody said this in the message.

You, as you know we have the same backstage and says never underestimate the pain in her room but he says I want to add some to medical releases, but also never underestimate the power of Jesus to transform that pain into something powerful is really easy to go here were all heard but that's true. But don't also underestimate God can do something powerful.

Jesus wants to do something powerful to transform that pain in the something that can not only help us but be a blessing to others desires a final thought, okay, and in it and I think it's very important. I didn't even discover this. I don't think it's the last couple years and is simply this, our pain invites God's purpose arm painting thought invites God's purpose.

In other words, the pain that we struggle with our life, even what were going through right now or you're going through in your in your home and your marriage enough, God is going to use at the point to his purpose for your life is interesting in planning this women's conference in couple years from now than in the beginning stages. These 15 women that are on this planning team with me. I said I wanted. I want you to talk about your gifts your passion in your pain and they're like why are we talking about our pain. I said, because a lot of times the pain you've gone through pain. You've lived through points to your purpose in your passion like it's amazing right. I've gone through sexual beings and I want to free women from that bondage in the shame we've gone through hard marriage. We want to help people choose the hardness of that and through the difficulty and so asking you guys, what's being your pain. What is being your valleys and first about in your Valentine fees you he knows you.

She's way too many eventually could he be wanting to actually use that pain drawing to your purpose and I would say for almost almost 3 years of my life I would've told you. The worst part of my life was when my dad walked out when I was seven years old my mom to get divorce and my little brother died within that year seven years old and now I look back and I was very hard and it was a dark alley.

I look back now and realize God was there any actually created through that pain. Our purpose you're looking at at least for me, a kid came from a broken home that is now spending our lives trying to help people not break homes having marriages last doing anything we can to help your marriage and to bless others through you. That's what does he uses the pain our life to point us to our purpose. I really believe that's what he was seeing. We always try to run away from is like now. What if we embraced it again. Nothing is easy, Brophy said okay this is been really hard. How does God want to cheat me through it blessed me through it and then how does he want to use us and that pain to be our purpose and blessing others.

We can't find out what that is less for walking, talking within my relationship with intestinal always lead us to where he wants us to go with for letting listen to this verse in second Corinthians. Paul wrote this. This is such a powerful and beautiful truth about the things that we struggle with and how God meets us, he says. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of compassion. That's who he is at six character. He is compassionate with you right now the father of compassion and the God of all comfort, so good. You need comfort. We need comfort where we go is not to be found just here. It can be found vertically in the liquid. He says the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our troubles, so that what so that the purpose statement is as this is why I come for you and your troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God he was listening to a message that and and I gave him the love like you made a virtual cruise and 2021 and boy oh boy, that last passage of Scripture is such a good reminder that not only does God meet us and comfort us in our in our Valley, but he actually is going to use that comfort that we've received to minister to others. I really like that you ended with that scripture I Mike I need to put that on my refrigerator and look at that verse every day or in my car on the review near because it's so critical. It such a comfort to know that God can use it to help others. And here's the truth I was thinking about as I was listening you that some of the scars in some of the pain we've gone through. Like I put like my sexual abuse in the past. It's like this scar that I have that I wear I think about your family and the legacy came from alcoholism and abuse, and then I think about our marriage like that scar. There's scars are things you want to hike you don't want to show them off. My sister dying was a huge scar and all of those times we cried out to God and I love the Scripture that says when we cry out he hears in this verse in Corinthians is basically saying don't hide your scars.

It's embarrassing. We don't want to show anyone or tell anyone what we've been through, but when we point back to Jesus and we say not to show off my scars because he was there in the midst of my pain and it's amazing to think that sharing the pain is going to meet somebody in there. Right you know when you walk through the valley and you have a story to tell of how hard it was and yet how true God was in the middle of it. We have no idea your neighbor stranger.

It could be anybody.

God is going to use your pain to meet them and their pain and so your pain is never wasted. It's literally going to be used to change the world you stop and think about it for just a minute. Most of us would agree that the times when we have grown the most spiritually the times when we drawn closest to God. It's been the valley times it's been the hard times. That's where we often find ourselves drawing closer to God and then the idea that God can take the suffering we've been through and use that redemptive lead to help others in the midst of their struggle. That's God's grace. They blend Wilson a been talking about how we can grow in the midst of storms. This was actually a message they presented on the 2021 love like you mean it virtual cruise. Remember last February. We didn't have a real life cruise because of covert. Everything was shut down. Cruising is back it's safe. It's been going on for months now, and all the protocols are in place. Everything is safe and were excited that the love like you mean a marriage cruise in February, 20, 22 will once again be leaving from Port Canaveral in Florida and heading out into the Caribbean, you're invited the cruises. About 70% full right now so this is kind of last call for those of you who want to join us. We put a special offer together for family elected a listers. The offer is good through October 4. You can find out more about how to reserve your state room and be a part of the cruise and save a little money right now, go to family life to the.com the information about the cruises available there or call if you have any questions or if you'd like to register, call one 803 586-329-1800 F as in family L as in life than the word today you will hear from a great lineup of speakers including Dave and Ann Wilson, Dr. Julie Slattery's joining us run deals go beyond the cruise. The Kendrick brothers will be there with their brand-new movie, you get kind of an exclusive sneak peek.

The movie is not to be out until the middle of next year so you'll be among the first to see it on the cruise is a lot more lined up again. You can get information on wanted family life to.com or call if you have any questions, one 803 586-329-1800 F as in family L as in life, and then the word today that tomorrow. Working to hear from another one of the speakers who's gonna be joining us on the love like you mean it marriage cruise in 2022 pastorate author Jonathan precluded his good talk about how our marriages need to be handled with care. They are fragile and we need to also adjust may be some of our expectations about marriage will hear from him about that tomorrow. Hope you can join us on behalf of our hosts Dave and Ann Wilson about the pain will see you back next time for another edition of family life today family like today is a production of family accrued ministering, helping you pursue the relationships that matter most