Ray's Reflection - Ministry in the Silence

Ray's Reflection - Ministry in the Silence

It has been 21 days since I shared my last devotional.

I have grieved the loss of my dear sister Joyce, watched my father struggle with the debilitating effects of a stroke, and tried to be present for my family and for those God has placed in my path.

My prayer list has grown long, so many people God loves and whom I love are carrying burdens that have brought me repeatedly to my knees in prayer.

I have been busy. I have been praying. I have been walking in the woods, sometimes talking to God, sometimes listening, and sometimes simply placing one foot in front of the other.

Truthfully, there have been days when I have felt numb.

But an absence online does not mean an absence from ministry.

Ministry does not always happen behind a pulpit or through a daily devotional. Sometimes it happens beside a hospital bed, in a quiet conversation, through a trembling embrace, or when we lay hands on someone and pray because we have no answers of our own.

Even in my grief, I have seen God doing great things. I have watched Him bring comfort, restore hope, and meet people in places where human words could never reach. I may have been quiet online, but God has not been silent, and He has not stopped working.

These past three weeks have reminded me that we do not merely write about walking with Jesus. Sometimes we must close the computer, step into the woods, enter the hospital room, sit with the brokenhearted, and live the walk we have been writing about.

I am still grieving. I am still praying. I am still walking.

And by the grace of God, I am still serving.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18See less