On Being a Servant of God

You have probably learned from painful experience that the mountaintops of ministry are often accompanied by deep valleys of disappointment and discouragement. What hurts leaders the most are the failures of the people we're trying to help, people who really have every reason to succeed. Abraham must have been heartbroken over Lot's downfall; Isaac and Rebekah were deeply grieved over Esau's conduct; and Paul wept over the problems caused by the people in the Corinthian church. Even our Lord once said to His disciples, "How long shall I be with you and bear with you?" (Luke 9:41). The word translated "bear" simply means "to put up with".

"To be a true minister to men," said Phillips Brooks,
is always to accept new happiness and new distress, both of them forever deepening and entering into closer and more inseparable union with each other the more profound and spiritual the ministry becomes. The man who gives himself to other men can never be a wholly sad man; but no more can he be a man of unclouded gladness.
I suggest you read that quotation again, slowly, and let its message sink in. And the next time a Lot or an Esau or even a Judas breaks your heart, and you wonder if it's worth it all to serve the Lord, remember what Phillips Brooks said: Ministry means deeper depths of sorrow and higher heights of joy, and they often come together.


Nobody knew this fact better than Moses. No sooner did he lead the people out of Egypt than he heard them complaining that they were thirsty, and then that they were hungry. The Lord made the bitter waters sweet, He sent them the bread of angels from heaven, and He brought water out of the rock. But when Moses stayed too long on the mount of God, the people became impatient and asked Aaron to be their new leader and make them a new god. The result was the infamous golden calf and the sensual orgy that accompanied it. (Exod. 32)

When he came down from the mountain, Moses exercised courageous leadership as he dealt with the people's sins; but then he had to deal with his own disappointment and sense of failure. What did he do? He went right back to the place of duty, into the presence of God, and interceded for the very people who broke his heart!

God made two offers to Moses: He would destroy the idolatrous Israelites, and He would make out of Moses a whole new nation. But Moses would not use somebody else's failure to promote his own success. He rejected both offers and asked the Lord to forgive His people and give them another chance. Neither pride nor vindictiveness ruled in Moses' heart. Instead, God saw there humility and forgiveness.

When Moses was discouraged because of what his people did, he communed with God and prayed, "Please, show me Your glory" (Exod. 33:18). No matter how much we fail or our people fail, the only thing that really matters is the glory of God. The sin of Israel gave Moses the opportunity to glorify himself, but he refused to do so. One commentator proclaimed, "But the true glory and holy exultation is for a man to glory in Thee, and not in himself; to rejoice in They name, not in his own virtue, nor to take delight in any creature except it be for Thy sake."

So, the next time people fail you and you feel like you've failed, go to the mount and ask God to show you His glory. Don't focus on yourself or the people you serve; focus on God and His glory. Before long, you'll get the perspective God wants you to have, and you'll be ready to do what He wants you to do.


Centuries later, another servant of God went to the same mountain, discouraged because the nation of Israel had failed him. It was the prophet Elijah, fresh from the victory of Mount Carmel but ready to hand in his resignation (1 Kings 19:4, 10). "It is enough!" he complained to God. "Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!...I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts....I alone am left."

What a contrast! Moses was heartbroken because his people deserted him and lapsed into idolatry, and Elijah was discouraged because his people didn't rally to his side when he defeated idolatry!

But Moses and Elijah handled their hurts differently. Moses saw the glory of God and, having seen that glory, found the encouragement he needed to go back and serve his people. Elijah saw only himself and what he thought was his failure; and the longer he looked at himself and talked about himself, the more he wanted to quit. If we don't see the glory on the mountain, we'll never be able to face the discouragements in the valley.


It's interesting that Moses and Elijah met on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8). The disappointments they had experienced in life were compensated for after death: Moses finally made it to the promised land, and Elijah finally saw the glory of God on the mount. It wasn't fire from heaven. It was glory from heaven and a voice from heaven that assured them the Father was well-pleased. Both of them saw the glory of Jesus Christ and entered into the thrill of "His decease [exodus] which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31). What Moses and Elijah couldn't accomplish, Jesus Christ would accomplish; but they had helped to prepare the way for His victory.

In the economy of God, suffering and glory go together. What God has joined together, you and I had better not put asunder.

-Chapter 25, On Being a Servant of God (Warren W. Wiersbe)

I truly wan to thank God for Yi Ling. After a conversation with her about YZ, she posted this on her blog. And reading it again today brought new light to my love for God's ministry - Youth Zone. Suffering and glory really do come together.