Ministry Out of Loss
By Dena J. Dyer

Is there a prayer God hasn't answered for you -- no matter how hard you pray? Do you feel hopeless, helpless, discouraged? Don't give up.

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart" (2 Corinthians 4:1, NIV).

A few months after I had a miscarriage, I felt compelled to write an article on how to help someone who has had a pregnancy loss. I included things to say (and especially things not to say) to a friend or family member who has suffered the death of an unborn child. It was therapeutic for me, and several people who read it said that it was helpful to them, as well.

Since then, I have had several opportunities to minister (through listening, sending an encouraging card or flowers, or simply just being there) to couples who have had miscarriages. It is not a ministry I would have chosen, but I do see God's hand in it.

Joni Erickson Tada and her husband run a ministry born out of suffering. In the October/November 1998 issue of Virtue, the quadriplegic recalled how she and Ken desired to have children but slowly realized it was impossible. One night as they lay in bed with Ken holding her hand, they redefined "family," praying for a spiritual outreach to young people -- and God answered.

Now, as a result of Ken's job as a teacher, annual family retreats through Joni's ministry to the disabled and quarterly barbecues in their backyard, they minister to hundreds of teens who long for a stable adult presence in their lives. "God corralled all these kids and brought them our way, so we look at them through different eyes -- not as the sons and daughters of other adults, but as our spiritual sons and daughters, in whom we can invest something eternally worthwhile. And that has been enormously fulfilling."

Is there a prayer God hasn't answered for you -- no matter how hard you pray? Do you feel hopeless, helpless, discouraged? Don't give up.

Search the scriptures, and pray to know God's heart. Maybe your Father has a unique ministry planned that will come from the fruits of your wilderness experience. Believe for that abundance, even in the middle of your desert.

Prayer: God, help me to trust you, however bleak my circumstances may seem. Give me the grace to accept whatever plan You have for my life.

cbn