The Precious from the Vile (Part 1)
The infamous, Black Hawk Down incident in Mogadishu, on October 3-4, 1993, forever changed the planning and practices of the Special Operations Command. Although the overall mission had many successes, it did claim the lives of 19 American service members and left one pilot as a hostage to the Somali warlord, Aideed. It also forced the end of America's military invovlement in Somalia. The sacrifice of those brave warriors has now helped to save the lives of hundreds of their brother, Special Operations warriors. The lessons of "what to do," and "what not to do," weren't learned from books. Subsequent Special Operations training could now be filled with gritty experience, battlefield realities that were purchased with blood.
There is something about "being there," or actually having to get through some traumatic experience that can't be replaced by anything else. It's experience... but it's more than experience. I believe that no matter what a person goes through, the Lord has a desire to redeem it. He wants to use it to advance the gospel. I think that there is an open invitation from the Lord to serve Him in a Special Forces capacity. In fact, I think that there are a lot more people the Lord would use to help others in this way, but they don't ever get there because of one critical missing discipline.
As I've been meditating on and living off of this thought for the past several months, there is one clear piece that either qualifies or disqualifies a person from the ranks of spiritual Special Forces. Remember, it is our personal level of spirituality that determines our usefulness to the Lord and our helpfulness to others.
So with that in mind, what is this one, make-or-break discipline needed for Special Forces service? Here it is: Are you willing and able to remove the precious from the vile? Can you take something productive out of failure? Can you acquire some new skill or knowledge from something painful or distressful? Can you grab onto Heaven in the midst of hell-on-earth? The answer to all of these "Can you" questions is an emphatic, "Yes!" The real question, I guess, is "Will you?"
Let me just share why I believe in this one discipline so vehemently. The phrase, "precious from the vile" comes from Jeremiah 15:19. In speaking to what it will take to bring Israel back from captivity and the brink of destruction, the Lord tells them that if they can "...remove the precious from the vile, then you shall be as My mouth." The Lord makes this discipline of pulling something virtuous out of the grips of something nauseating the criteria to become used as His mouth-piece. In other words, if you want to speak on behalf of and in the authority of the Lord, you've got to be willing and able to draw the redemptive experience out of the trials and tribulations of this life.
I have some examples that I want to share with you - some ways to help you see and receive this - but blogs are not supposed to be one-way. I'm going to leave it at this for now. I'll write a "Part 2" on this theme, but first let me hear from you. Post your stories or your questions and let's talk about this a little bit. If you have any questions that you want to address personally to me, email me at thespecialforcesgroup@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you and I'll help any way that I can.
Peace.
SJB
Scott Bane
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I think, especially as believers in Jesus Christ, we are often faced with the vile. God never promised us an easy path, but He DID promise us that tomorrow would never take us beyond His grasp. I have found, in my own life, that it is not experiencing the vile that sets you apart, but your reaction to the vile that sets you apart. In every situation, you have two choices: 1)trust in the power, provision, and protection of the Most High, or 2)take the situation into your own hands, and try to solve it (or run from it) in your own power. Things I've tried to accomplish on my own will be forgotten in time, but the things God has done, the prayers He has answered, I will NEVER forget. Part of being a believer, though, is also knowing that as a child of God, His hand is in each and every situation. The determining factor is whether or not we acknowledge Him in all our ways.
I like that part of "in all your getting..." We're going to get a lot of stuff in this life and some of it is going to be vile. But in all of that, if we get wiser - if we get understanding - if we draw something useful from it, we have the opportunity to be used to help people by being a mouthpiece on the behalf of the Lord.
SJB
Those are tough questions... mostly because I know people that have been through some serious, serious stuff. I can certainly say that in my experience, any time a person is willing to open himself to the redemptive possibilities through Jesus Christ I've seen not only real healing take place but also ministry.
It goes back to Galatians 6:1 in my mind. That verse says that in order to be truly able to "restore such a one" we need the spirit of gentleness. Going through something yourself is what clothes you with that spirit of gentleness. Gentleness is the fruit of the Spirit. It's not a natural personality trait that you either have or you don't. In fact, Jesus says in Matthew 11, "Learn from Me for I am gentle." It has to be learned. In my opinion, the way to learn that gentleness with others is to submit to the Holy Spirit while in the crucible of personal affliction.
Believe me, I'm not saying that suffering is some spiritual thing in and of itself. I want as little suffering and affliction as absolutely possible! Like Jeff says in one of his posts, its our reaction to the suffering that inevitably comes that either purchases us that spirit of gentleness or hardens us against God and towards humanity.
SJB
PS. I love your BL-O-G (BLessings Of God)!
Bring on the training Pastor Scott!!
Thanks for doing this....
- Sometimes so we can better relate with Christ's suffering (1 Peter 2:21) or our fellow man.
- Sometimes we suffer for others (Hebrews 2:18)& (Colossians 1:24) ...could be somebody you know or don't...could be somebody years down the road and God places you in their life at a crucial point, only God knows and maybe we get to find out when we get to Heaven!
- AND sometimes it's because without suffering and being brokenhearted, many non-believers would never search for Jesus. ie: Hurricane Katrina was vile but many have or will come out better for finding God!
I take comfort in Psalms 34:18 "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." It was written by David when he was on the run from King Saul and found himself in the home town of Goliath. A bit of a vile situation! The PRECIOUS is knowing that God is in control and trusting he has a purpose in EVERYTHING.
On the Blog: GREAT WORK! It's great to have some light in dark cyber-world!
It all comes down to Who we believe God is. Who we believe God is determines what we believe God does. My God is a restorer. There is no situation or circumstance that stifles Him. We need to go TO our Commander in those situations for wisdom,healing,and instruction. So many times we're so concerned with OURSELVES that we're unable to use those situations as OPPORTUNITIES to minister to others. The Lord told me once that "when you become more concerned with others than you are with yourSELF, then I'll be able to use you".
For I am persuaded that neither life nor death,nor angels, nor principalities nor powers..... as long as we cannot be separated from the love of our Father, we can't lose, and we have no reason to quit. Sometimes when we are hit the hardest, it's because there is a great blessing right around the corner. He will never leave us or forsake us.
I can say with all boldness that the EXPERIENCE of the things I have been THRU (as Pastor Scott referred to) has indeed made the difference in me. I have been taken to school, and the experience has made ALL the difference. The important thing is that I have allowed those things to change me for the better. And, as Pastor and I have talked about before, GUARD YOUR HEART in those things against a root of bitterness - remember who we wrestle against ...... God can take the most IMPOSSIBLE of situations and turn it around. The Bible is FULL of them. The enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to bring life. He can bring it right in the MIDST of our situations - He prepares the table before us in the MIDST of our enemies. The greater the challenge, the greater the glory. Be it all unto Him.