Can the Lord sustain me, my family, and my ministry when it feels like the storms of life are too great?
SHIPWRECK IN MINISTRY? A STORY OF SHIPWRECK FROM ACTS 27:13-44
The end of the book of Acts tells a suspenseful story about impending shipwreck, and certain looming death for the 276 persons aboard the ship. Imagine the scene: what should have been a short, simple journey along the southern coast of Crete to find shelter in the Phoenix Harbor had turned into an unending nightmare. Even well-weathered sailors could not withstand the sudden northeasterly winds, which had come whipping down the coastal mountain peaks of Crete, churning up the sea below. Far from sailing safely into a harbor suitable for spending the winter, this little ship had been blown very far off course, away from Crete and into the open waters of the Mediterranean, in a season that was not fit for sailing. Even after all the emergency measures of undergirding the ship with cables, lowering the mast and leaving the ship to the tossing of the sea, and even throwing much cargo overboard, after two weeks of relentless storms, “all hope of…being saved was at last abandoned” (Acts 27:20). Aboard this seemingly doomed ship was a prisoner en route to Rome, a prisoner in chains for his faith, and alert to the words of the Lord.
When all hope on the ship was lost, Paul was still listening to the words of the Lord, seeking His guidance and direction, and ready to deliver the Lord’s words to his fellow prisoners and even their captors. Paul knew (and in fact, had warned prior to their setting out - cf. Acts 27:10) that this unwise journey would end in shipwreck, and yet, as everyone abandons hope, Paul gives words of truth, life, and comfort, declaring that “there will be no loss of life among you,” even as he understands the ship will inevitably run aground (27:22).
SHIPWRECK IN MINISTRY?
So what does this story of Paul’s faith in the face of inevitable shipwreck have to do with gospel ministry, and particularly ministry in the Hispanic context? Especially for Hispanic pastors, lay-leaders, and families in the thick of ministry, the fear and uncertainty of the crew and passengers aboard this small Greek vessel in the middle of the Mediterranean may strike a certain chord. How often can it feel that a fairly simple task has turned into an insurmountable journey? How easy is it for the realities and challenges of caring for a community living in transition, uncertainty, fear, and sometimes chaos, to become overwhelming? Even for the most servant-hearted pastoral family or ministry worker, the needs can feel too challenging to meet. There is great potential for loss of all hope, for extreme burnout.
Certainly, the idea of burnout is well-understood within the context of ministry, particularly as resources and encouragement run thin. Particularly in the Hispanic context, the work of a pastor goes far beyond preparing a Sunday sermon, leading Bible studies, and counseling some church members each week. It looks like life-on-life walking with not only church members, but members of the community. It can look like sharing the gospel late into the night after a long day of helping a newly arrived family find the resources they need to get settled. It may look like getting to know community members while driving them to and from their jobs on a daily basis. It may look like helping someone fill out legal paperwork, while hearing their stories of loss, and praying for them through their tears. It certainly looks like long hours of sitting with, breaking bread with, and learning the stories of the community; it looks like putting in the time to learn and understand the cultural differences and religious backgrounds that make up the complex and extremely diverse group of people we so simply call “Hispanics” or “Hispanic-Americans.”
And the reality for most Hispanic pastors and ministry workers is that they are doing all of this, if not bi-vocationally, at least without much of a support network. Like their sheep, many of them too, have left family and friends far behind; many of them too, are learning to live life in a second culture and a second language. Many of them have wives and children who are struggling to adapt, or perhaps children who are adapting well, leaving their parents behind. Many of these pastors do not have the luxury of being cared for well by a Presbytery and local pastors, if language, culture, or location present barriers. Most do not have the same resources as their majority-culture counterparts: lack of funding, lack of space, lack of Ruling Elders to help with the work, lack of trained lay-people within the congregation, lack of consistency in a working-class and transient community. And the list goes on. The risk of burnout is great, not just among these faithful ministers, but among their families and even congregations as well. The risk of “abandoning all hope” in the face of the storm is understandable.
A WORD FOR PRESERVATION:
And yet, the story of Paul aboard this small sailing vessel - and of how the Lord guides and uses Paul to preserve the life of all those aboard the ship - serves as an incredible witness to the Lord’s power of preserving His people in the midst of fear, chaos, shipwreck, and burnout. Look again at the narrative in Acts 27:
When an entire shipful of people have abandoned hope, Paul is listening to the voice of the Lord. He is in tune; he is alert, trusting God’s greater purpose in this unwise journey. And as Paul worships and trusts, even in the midst of the storm, the lurching, and the creaking bows, the Lord gives Paul words of life and sustaining - not just for Paul, but for the ship’s entire company. In the midst of a terrifying journey, the Lord’s angel speaks words of comfort, “Do not be afraid, Paul” (27:24). The Lord assures Paul that His plans to carry Paul safely to Rome will not be hindered. Paul understands that the journey ahead is still difficult. It will include running aground, needing to swim through rough waters (with a group of passengers who were primarily non-swimmers), and landing as refugees on an unknown island. Yes, the process is still formidable, but the Lord’s sustaining words of life are enough for Paul, and they are enough for all the crew and passengers.
The prophet Isaiah, in describing the Suffering Servant to come - the Messiah - writes that “The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word, him who is weary…” (Isaiah 50:4a). And indeed, it is the very Word of Life Himself who gives Paul a sustaining word of encouragement, and life. As Paul hears the words of the angel, as he is in tune to the Word of the Lord, something incredible happens. Paul is able to help sustain the crew and passengers through sharing the words he has just received. “Take heart, men,” Paul urges, “for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told” (Acts 27:25). Yes, they will run aground; they will lose the ship. Yet not a single life will be lost!
As Paul listens to the sustaining words of the Lord, the Lord opens his eyes to see the needs of his fellow prisoners and the crew. He sees them weak with fear and hunger, having given themselves up to a near certain death. Sustained by the Lord, Paul can see that these men also need encouraging and sustaining for the journey ahead. So he urges them to break their two-week fast, and gather the energy they will need to make it to shore. In hope and trust of the Lord’s words of life, Paul doubles down on God’s promises to the company that “not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you” (27:34). And in the presence of this terrified, disheveled, motley company of Roman prisoners and pagan sailors, Paul gives thanks to God for the physical sustenance He has provided, and in trust of His continued promise of life for everyone on board. As Paul is in tune to the voice of the Lord, the Lord allows this humble, suffering prisoner to shepherd, care for, and offer words of life to the entire ship. The Lord indeed knows how to sustain with a word him who is weary! And He gives His servants and under-shepherds His Words of life to sustain weary fellow travelers.
This is where Paul’s story offers a word of comfort and life for pastors and ministry workers in danger of burnout: the Lord does not promise that the journey will be easy; but He offers His sustaining Word of Life. The invitation is for weary, burdened pastors and shepherds to draw near to the Good Shepherd, to listen to His voice, to drink from His well of truth, and to find that He will indeed sustain His sheep for the entire journey. The temptation is to believe that more resources – training, finances, committed elders, supporting churches, etc. – are what are needed. (And yes, we indeed pray for the Lord to increase these blessings and resources for the Hispanic church!) Yet the reality is that we all already have access to the most important resource of all: the sustaining, life-giving Word of God. The Word of God is enough for the weary, burdened pastor. And as pastors are filled with the Lord’s sustaining words, they will have life-giving words to offer to their communities as well.
A PRAYER AND HOPE FOR THE WEARY
Certainly, ministry in a hurting, weary, fearful, and under-resourced community is hard, exhausting even. And the reality is that the Lord does not promise an easy journey, for shepherds or for their flock. Frightening storms will spring up; the ship may even run aground. But the Lord’s promise to His servants is to sustain them with His Word of Life the one who is weary. His promise is for His Word to bear fruit, to go forth and accomplish its purpose, even in what looks like shipwreck and chaos. His promise is to invite the weary to Himself, and to show them His life and His rest. Indeed, “not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you”: armed with the strength and truth of the Lord, you can move forward in ministry knowing that He will sustain you and your community, and that His purposes for the growth of His Kingdom are moving forward.
This is one of the great goals and desires of HLI: to come alongside weary, burdened pastors serving the unique needs of the Hispanic community, and to encourage them with the sustaining Words of life. Yes, pray for more resources, for more training, for stability within the Hispanic community, and for you and your ministry, and for those ministering alongside the Hispanic community. But above all else, draw near to the Word of Life. He has promised to sustain you with HIS Word, with His death, with His life - and He will do it. Draw near to him as a pastor, as a husband, as a father, as un peregrino y un inmigrante. Trust that, as He sustains you with His Words, He will also give you His words to speak life into the burdens of those around you. Without turning to Him and seeking your strength in Him, you, your family, and your ministry will be lost; but through His sustaining, even if the journey means running aground, He will keep you, He will sustain you. He will accomplish His will.
¡A Dios sea la gloria!
JOIN US IN PRAYER
The reality of burnout within the Hispanic ministry context is real: please pray for the Lord’s sustaining and renewing of the men and women He has called to serve Him in this context. Pray for more opportunities for renewal, for growth, for being reminded of the sustaining Word of Life.
Please pray for HLI as we seek opportunities to come alongside weary pastors and their congregations, to offer counseling and conferences for renewal and sustaining. Please pray for the Lord to continue to provide all that we need to encourage His people with His Words of life.
Pray for the Hispanic-American community, many of whom are in a particularly difficult period of suffering and uncertainty, whether personally, or with family and friends. Pray that the Lord will use this time to draw more people to Himself.
Please consider giving to HLI, that the Lord may continue multiplying the resources for the training, encouragement, renewal, and multiplication of new leaders in and for the Hispanic-American context, and even beyond.