The Difficulty of Being Missional - Love in Hard Places

Often times in the midst of severe trials and tribulations, our hearts lose sight that the Lord is good and that He knows what is happening in our lives. There are times that it seems like the Lord has abandoned us or forsaken us because of the suffering and pain present in our lives.

In the context of being missional, that is going out into the culture and seeking to be used by God to transform it, our hearts can quickly become discouraged because of the pervasiveness of sin and hopelessness in some segments of society. Take for instance the the capital of the pornography industry in and around Northridge, California. If God placed on your heart to love those tied to that industry and you felt compelled to impact that industry for Christ, you would have plenty of heartache. Certainly, you would have victories, but they would pale in comparison to the setbacks and disappointments that you would encounter. (The porn industry is huge. It makes more money per year than the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB combined.) It is tremendously difficult emotional work that would drain the best of us.

This is where our hearts must be lifted up by our minds. Our minds know that our Heavenly Father rules and reigns from above today and forever more. Our minds also know that the earth will perish, but God will remain. We know that Christ has broken the power to sin by being victorious over death. Yet, our hearts often do not understand those truths in the midst of our trials. Our impatience wants immediate action, our zeal for good wants sin to go away now, and our hearts desperately desire deliverance.

If you find yourself in this situation, please remember to read and meditate on the Lament Psalms (like Psalm 102. There are about 50 Lament Psalms throughout Psalms.) You will be comforted and be able to identify with the emotions and experiences of the Psalmist, and you be reminded that God is good, in control, will ultimately triumph and will deliver you from your heartache.