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Reflections on Ministering to the Suffering
By Dr. Peggy J. Wobbema
Dr. Peggy J. Wobbema is currently a staff chaplain at Cox Health Systems, Springfield, Missouri. She is also the volunteer director of pastoral care at North Point Church.
Suffering is a universal dilemma. It may be mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional. People undergo various experiences of distress, affliction, injury, and other life situations that bring pain and death. The age-old question of “Why does a God of love allow so much pain and distress in the world?” is often asked when seeking understanding and comfort in painful situations. Scripture is not silent regarding the dilemma of suffering. It provides answers that bring understanding regarding the plans and purposes of God. The Bible gives evidence that God heals, and provides the mandate to pray for those who are sick that they might receive healing for their sufferings.
God’s role as a healer is prominent throughout Scripture. The Old Testament presents the picture of the Lord as He who heals the sick, the lost, and the weak. Isaiah proclaims that the Servant of the Lord revealed in Isaiah 53 will bring healing to the people of God. This prophetic figure is one in whom all the imagery of healing and salvation is gathered together; He answers the cry of a broken world.
In the New Testament, the role of God as healer is a sign of the coming of the kingdom of God. Jesus as healer is central to the Gospels and in the Early Church. The focus of Jesus was not only to heal broken bodies, but also to restore health to human relationships and social structures. Jesus’ ministry brought physical, emotional, and spiritual healings for people. Healing is holistic, dealing with the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and societal state of the person needing healing.
As a hospital chaplain, I minister to people of all faith traditions. Both Catholic and Protestant traditions stand on the belief that God can heal. It is the responsibility of the local church to minister to those in need, to bring the comforting and healing touch of Christ without partiality. But here lays a great difficulty. At times, there is an underlying struggle of faith within an individual who is suffering that is fueled by his or her beliefs. Many recognize the presence of suffering and accept it as a natural part of life. Others, though giving credence to the pain, struggle with the seeming silence of God in not answering prayer for healing immediately, or according to his or her expectations of how the prayer should be answered.
For some in the Pentecostal and Word of Faith traditions, suffering can bring about a spiritual dilemma. They place a strong emphasis on the doctrine of healing, and on the believer’s responsibility to stand “firm in the faith without wavering” until healing is received. When God does not seem to answer, and the suffering continues or increases, spiritual distress often sets in. They or those who try to minister to them think their lack of healing is a result of their lack of faith. A strong aspect of this view is that many attribute healing to physical healing alone. As stated earlier, the healing power of God potentially touches every aspect of a person’s being, not just the physical body.
In ministering to the sick on a daily basis, I have opportunity to minister to many who are in this state of spiritual distress due to the struggle of supposed lack of faith in sincere, believing prayer. Inevitably the questions come: “Chaplain, why can’t I believe strong enough for God to answer me? What am I doing wrong?” They often think their relationship with Christ is weaker than they previously thought.
Recently, I visited with a family from a Pentecostal tradition whose loved one was in critical condition. Their pastor had visited that morning to pray for the patient and afterwards spoke specifically to the patient’s wife that she was not to give up for healing, or it would be against God’s plan for the patient “according to God’s Word.” The wife was “not to lose faith that God would answer.” This pastor did not take the time to understand the patient’s condition, nor had he tried to listen to the struggle within the family as to what to do regarding the patient’s declining condition. The pastor’s comments caused the family undo emotional and spiritual distress.
When ministering to the suffering, and especially to those whose affliction continues or increases, it is imperative to share the comfort and love of Christ, and to assure the individual of the truth of God’s Word and the power of His sovereignty. Only God truly understands the crushed in spirit. As ministers, we must use extreme caution that our counsel encourages the individual’s faith and is not judgmental in any way. It is our responsibility as shepherds to feed the flock of God and to nourish their faith with the truth of God’s Word—especially when spiritual distress is present. The gentleness of Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit are present in the minister who carries the injured lamb and tends caringly to its wounds. Pray with the suffering with fervency, pray with the suffering in faith according to God’s truth, and stand closely to the suffering with sincere love and concern.