When dealing with loss and devastation there is no real solution apart from the presence of the Lord. Getting alone and honest with God is essential to navigating hard circumstances. In this Q&A, Pastor Bill also shares the importance of finding comfort through the scriptures by reading out of the Psalms.

how do you keep that passion

we’re in an environment speaking faith

but how do you deal with disappointments

negative events like you know cancer not

being healed and

uh how do you hold on to joy and peace

in times of you know devastation extreme

devastation

yeah yeah and we don’t talk uh you know

our church is large enough that we have

some really difficult things happen but

they happen

almost don’t happen to the whole church

often times they’re like a little bit

more localized

you know right i’m aware of this right

now going on they’re like uh you know

the whole church isn’t dealing with it

but some of us are

yeah yeah you know that’s true i

there’s no real there’s no real solution

apart from the presence of the lord it’s

not counseling you know people come to

us with

real tough questions most of the time

they’re not asking for an

answer they’re asking for an answer you

know they’re not they’re not

asking for point one two and three

they’re asking for something that will

give them peace in the middle of this

chaos and this pain and loss whatever

and and i just

i’m i’m constantly trying to direct

people into

one of the students asked me yesterday

after after class

the same question what what do i do and

uh i’m constantly directing people into

you know get along with god be brutally

honest

just don’t accuse me you know it looks

like you betrayed me

it feels like you didn’t keep your word

this is what i do it feels like you

betrayed me you did not keep your word

i know it’s impossible i know that

you’re perfectly faithful

so i include that in the prayer because

i know that i know that that’s true in

my

heart of hearts i know that he’s

absolutely good he’s absolutely perfect

but this is what it feels like it feels

like i got left alone feels like i got

stuck

yeah and i’m in a whole bunch of pain

and a whole bunch of disappointment

because it feels like you

you abandoned me but then i do follow

with that honest other part that says i

know that’s not true

but somehow you’ve got to touch me where

i’m where i’m hurting and

what i will do is i i will i will bring

out all the stuff that i’m thinking and

feeling i just bring it all out lay it

on the table

not expecting you know i i don’t

i don’t ever require anything of him i i

mean it’s not as though we could but i

mean

in my attitude i don’t you don’t owe me

any explanations i will serve you

regardless

and i’ll serve you with joy but these

are the things that hurt

and i always i always have the word with

me in those in those

moments sometimes you’ll give me an

impression

of where to turn in the bible other

times i’ll just go to a familiar

portion that he’s ministered to me in

the past i’ll i’ll open to psalms 25 for

example 27 and i’ll

and i’ll just start to read or 37 some

of these that have been real

monuments in my life in the past i’ll

just go there as a starting place and

i’ll begin to read

and i’ll read i’ll just continue reading

i may i may go through 20 psalms but i

will read

until he speaks to me when he speaks to

me i may not have an answer for that

but i do have an answer for the pain you

know

and that process depending how

devastating this thing is i’m

i may do honestly i may do a half a

dozen times in a day or more

i remember one situation years ago it

was one evening

i i heard from the lord

i don’t think it would be i don’t think

it’d be an exaggeration at all i heard

i heard from the lord 20 times at least

in one evening

because it was so as soon as i’d get

into a place of real comfort and

peace i’d start working again and just

get bombarded and i would go back to the

lord he was so generous and talking

you know speaking to me bringing that

peace and and then the next day you know

you just you just you you just give

yourself

to the lord for him to fix you for him

to heal you can’t fix yourself

i’m not going to psych myself up i can

give him an offering and i and i do yeah

i’ll hold up my biggest disappointment

uh

somebody uh died because of a disease

and i will

i will deliberately intentionally

offer the lord an offering of

thanksgiving and praise for his healing

power

and i will come into the opposite of

what what i’ve experienced

and and i will i it’s it’s uh we’ve

discussed this one before but

i i live with an awareness that i’m

giving him an offering

i won’t have a chance to give him in

heaven yeah it’s

it’s i want it’s almost like incense i

want

the pain and the loss i want that to

flavor the smoke the fire the the

incense of the offering that i’m giving

giving him because it’s a sacrifice it’s

my will is being shaped by an intention

to honor him in every situation

and so i i wanted i want to grab my

moment now because i won’t have it in

eternity i’ll never have a chance to

give him

an offering out of pain or loss in

eternity so we we grab it now but that’s

a process right there but

you’re the honesty with the lord the

confession of his

of what you know to be true about him uh

the word

the praise um interaction with people of

faith

you really really be careful of who who

you’re with in those times do not

don’t be with critical people people

that complain a lot

people that are just sarcastic people

that are

are just unbelieving believers you know

just

if you can avoid it all in those it’s

like having a dislocated joint

it’s it’s it’s already been dislocated

and it

the wrong move it comes out again so

easily so you

you protect that that part of your body

you protect that part of your heart

and you just you just don’t get down to

slippery you don’t get on icy sidewalks

you know yeah you avoid those situations

because you just know that’s a recipe

for disaster

yeah you may be strong enough in another

season it’s not

they don’t affect you at all but in

those moments man you gotta

no one else is gonna protect you yeah

you know you i have to

you know i i’m the one that has the key

to the the gate to the garden of my

heart

and i’m i’ve got to make sure that only

the right people get in there