Ministry Of Spiritual Care

Every believer must remember that God is always at work and present in every moment of the lives of His children. Nothing happens outside of His power and control. We are unable to see the full picture of what is happening, but the Lord knows the beginning and the end of everything. That is precisely why life with God is impossible without trusting Him. A person who entrusts everything into the hands of the Lord begins to see God's hand even in the most difficult life situations.

Taking this opportunity, I want to address people experiencing stress, suffering, or the unfair treatment. One of the most important forms of help for a person who has experienced trauma is often not a multitude of words, but a willingness to keep silent and weep with them. Awareness of the pain and of what is happening usually comes later. In such moments, it is especially important to be near, showing care, involvement, and compassion. Sometimes presence and support mean much more than the right words. When a person is in a state of severe stress, it is sometimes more important to help them maintain internal stability than to immediately try to give instructions.

Not everyone is capable of hearing the cry of the oppressed. People who have experienced unfair treatment are often afraid to speak about their pain due to fear, shame, or fear of consequences. Therefore, help to such people should not be superficial. One cannot limit oneself to simple advice like: "Forget and forgive." True spiritual exhortation helps a person over and over again to learn to hope in God. When trust in close people crumbles, one of the greatest supports becomes the assurance that the Lord remains loving, faithful, and caring.

Speaking of the reaction to unfair treatment and unrighteous anger, it is important to remember the command of Scripture Romans 12:17–21: to respond neither with timidity nor with revenge. Instead of these two extremes, the believer is called to manifest humility and spiritual firmness. Spiritual care helps the victim learn to speak with meekness and love, overcoming fear, internal rage, and bitterness. At the same time, the topic of forgiveness and reconciliation must not be missed. Forgiving quickly does not mean closing the problem quickly. True reconciliation begins when a person sincerely confesses their sin and asks for forgiveness. Everything hidden must be brought to light not for the sake of condemnation or humiliation, but for the sake of healing and restoration. Truth, spoken with love, becomes an important part of a believer's spiritual healing.

One should always remember that it is not time that heals a person, but God. Time only accompanies the process through which God's grace operates. Scripture in Titus 2:11–13 teaches us that grace not only comforts, but also instructs, convicts, and changes the heart. Sometimes a person is able to live a double life: causing pain to their family while simultaneously participating in ministry or teaching Scripture. Behind such behavior, deep problems of the heart are often hidden — a desire for power, control, comfort, recognition, pleasures, or a love of money. Therefore, spiritual instruction should help a person stop hiding and begin to live openly before God and people. Sin flourishes in the darkness, but righteousness grows in the light.

We can only pass on to others what we have learned ourselves. In order to properly understand and carry out spiritual care, it is necessary to have a biblical worldview and to constantly grow oneself in the knowledge of the Lord. I sincerely want to call upon every believer to pray that the Lord would direct them to the work of spiritual care, both for their own soul and for the souls of their neighbors.

At the same time, it is important to remember that spiritual care should not be carried out independently and in isolation. It must be exercised in accountability to the Church and its pastoral leadership. May the Lord bless us in the ministry of spiritual care and help us to be faithful in this important and difficult work.

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"When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:21-26