Beyond Sunday with Pastor Nic
Join me for a more personal look into the weekend sermons, as well as some thoughts on theology, marriage, parenting, and leadership. I will also explore some of your most asked questions throughout the year.
www.nic-williams.com
Beyond Sunday with Pastor Nic
Transforming Trials: A Testimony of Faith
Guided by the teachings of Romans 8:28, we explore how enduring hardships can lead to significant contributions to the kingdom of God. Each struggle, no matter how painful, can hold profound purpose when viewed through the lens of faith and trust in a larger plan. We invite listeners to reflect on their own pains and recognize them as part of a broader story being crafted by divine hands. Encouraging everyone to seek God's presence in every detail, we close with a heartfelt blessing, reminding us all that our lives are often part of a much grander design than we can imagine.
Hey podcasters, I hope you are having an incredible week. This weekend we came off a little bit of a different Sunday. We had a mission partner, key of Hope, with us and they had a choir from South Africa, from Durban, that came and sang some music and shared some testimony and it absolutely was an incredible experience. If you haven't seen it or weren't there or don't go to our church, jump on the website southshorechurchcom and you can look at that service from yesterday. Now, key of Hope is an incredible ministry in South Africa. It was founded by a guy named Dan and his wife, rachel, and they went down there about 17 years ago and it was pretty crazy the story of them starting this ministry from what it was to what it is now. But let me tell you a little bit about his story. If you were there this past weekend, the story will sound familiar, because this is his story. But let me tell you a little bit about his story. If you were there this past weekend, the story will sound familiar, because this is his story. But let me tell you about a guy named Dan.
Speaker 1:When Dan was 20 years old, he loved playing basketball. In fact, he was pretty good. He could even dunk a basketball. Now, don't ask me to dunk a basketball. I can't even really shoot hoops, but I try every now and then. Now one day he and his friends were playing a pickup game and he went up for a dunk. His friend tossed the perfect alley-oop, then jumped, caught the ball and slammed it into the hoop. It should have been one of those moments that was just a celebration and then they moved on. But when he came down he realized something was wrong. His pinky finger had gotten caught in the net and as he landed the top of his finger didn't come down with him. It had been completely severed. He thought at first that maybe he just torn a nail, but when he looked and saw bone where his finger used to be, he realized this was a different situation. Now you have to picture this Dan's trying to get his teammates who've ran down the court continuing to play basketball to come back and help him. One of his friends does come back, but he's trying to pump himself up to pick up the finger off the ground. As you can imagine, that was a gross thing. Nobody wanted to do it. Eventually he took his shirt off, picked up the finger and they all jumped in the car and Dan was rushed to the hospital. But as soon as he got there, the doctors told him there was no saving his finger. They advised him to start looking into prosthetics.
Speaker 1:Dan went home that day minus the top of his pinky finger. At that time he wondered why something like this would happen. It's one of those moments we all have right when we wonder God, why is this happening to me? How could this be used for your glory? How is this your plan for my life? After all, it's not every day that you lose part of your body playing basketball life After all, it's not every day that you lose part of your body playing basketball. But little did Dan know God was writing a bigger story. Let me pause there for a moment. That is true of your life as well. I could say that about each one of you. But little did you know, nick, god was writing a bigger story. But little did Steve know God was writing a bigger story. But little did Steve know God was writing a bigger story. Fill in your name there and remind yourself that your story is not being written by your greatest pain, by your tragedy. Your story is not being written by the greatest upset that you have in life or your hardest loss. Your story is being written by God and is bigger than the moment you find yourself in now. Now back to Dan's story.
Speaker 1:Years later, dan and his family felt called to move to Durban, south Africa. Durban is the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, in an area struggling with deep poverty and crime. Him and his family they sold their house, their cars, almost all of their belongings. Him and his family they sold their house, their cars, almost all of their belongings. With four young daughters, including a six-week-old baby, they arrived in Durban with a heart to serve. Now, while in Durban, dan started working with local children, many from the Zulu Nation. One day, during one of the first kids' programs, dan noticed that two young twins were staring at him and no matter how hard he tried to talk to them or make them laugh, they just kept staring. Finally, as Dan was out of things to talk to them about or figure out what was happening, the twins both raised their hands to show him that they were both missing the tops of their pinky fingers, just like him. Now Dan is staring back at them thinking what a coincidence. How could this have happened? He's got questions himself at this moment. On that day, dan learned that in the Zulu royal family, members of a specific clan, the Mgambi clan, have the tops of their pinky fingers removed at birth as a sign of their royal lineage. These two kids imagine they're staring at Dan trying to figure out how this white guy from America could possibly belong to their royal family. You know that small detail, a missing pinky, opened countless doors for Dan to connect with the Zulu people and to share the gospel.
Speaker 1:Over the last 17 years, over and over, god used Dan's pain. God used Dan's loss. God used Dan's tragedy to build bridges and make an internal impact. Now here's the thing Every one of us has experienced pain or trauma in our lives. Maybe it's not as dramatic as losing a finger, but we've all faced moments where we've wondered why would God allow this? What good could possibly come from this? Sometimes the purpose of our pain isn't clear right away. We're left holding the pieces, unsure of how they'll fit together. But other times, like with Dan, god weaves a story so beautiful and so clear that we can't miss it, even if it's years down the road that we start to see it.
Speaker 1:Let me encourage you with Philippians 1, verse 12. Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. Those are the Apostle Paul's words, written from prison. We think about Paul and we think about how great he was and how big he was for the faith. Let's think about how he suffered. Let's think about the moments that his freedom was taken away. How he suffered. Let's think about the moments that his freedom was taken away. He's sitting in prison writing to his friends saying what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. Even in chains, paul could see how God was using his suffering to spread the message of Jesus.
Speaker 1:Now, maybe you're in the middle of a painful season right now. Maybe you're still carrying the weight of something that happened years ago. I want you to know that God doesn't waste anything. He can take the very thing that caused you pain and use it as a platform for his glory. Sometimes we miss what God is doing because we're not looking for it. We're so focused on the why that we miss the how. How is God moving? How is he shaping our story? How might he be using your scars to reach someone else? This week, I challenge you to take some time to reflect on your own story. Ask God to show you how he's working in your life. Maybe it's through a conversation with someone who's walking through a similar struggle. Maybe it's an opportunity to serve or share your testimony. Whatever it is, don't be afraid to let God use your pain for his purpose.
Speaker 1:I sat in a hospital room this morning with a young lady that just had open heart surgery about a week ago, hearing her story and what led her to the situation she found herself in, talking to her about what the future might hold. I left there and I went straight to a rehab facility where I sat down with Michael. Many of Michael's story and what he's gone through. He had a stroke about two months ago now and verbally can't talk. His left hand doesn't move a lot. His left leg is getting there. He's got a long road ahead of him and I'm sitting there talking to both these individuals in very hard seasons of life and I can't help but think about Dan's story and look at Michael and think Michael man, I can't wait to see what God does with your story and, truth be told, it's already happening.
Speaker 1:Michael's nurse is blown away by how many people have visited him and she started to dig in like where are all these people coming from? How is it that this one guy in this room that can't talk is getting so many visitors? As she realized it was his church family coming to see him. She thought you know what? I haven't been to church in a long time, but if I do go to church I want to be at a church like that. Fast forward to Sunday and she shows up. She shows up with her young daughter. She actually went and even picked Michael up from rehab so that he could come back to church for the first time. For the first time I'm telling you your story.
Speaker 1:Even the hard parts can be such a huge impact for the kingdom of God. Don't miss what God is doing because you're so focused on the pain. Let me leave you with this encouragement from Romans 8.28. And we know that in all things, god works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Your story matters. Your pain has a purpose. Trust God to use it for something far greater than you could ever imagine. Until next time, may you begin to look for God in every detail of your life. God bless.